Calories in Veg Biryani

Why you don't need to worry about the calories in veg biryani which is dum cooked.

The boiling oil sizzling with onions and bay leaves
The rich aroma of freshly grounded Kashmiri spices
Long and shiny basmati rice.
The unmatched aroma of royal kitchens served in handis
......biryani sure never gets old.

Biryani simply is an amalgamation of five tbsp royalty along with a delectable array of cultures mixed with long-grained rice. Being the evergreen classic of every occasion, it has been unanimously loved by every culture, religion, and state. It has been a staple diet for the army and has adorned the jewel-studded thalis in the royal court alike. The aroma, taste, and appearance of biryani intrigued the emperors for it to be included as the royal dish in the menu for centuries.

The word BIRYANI has been derived from the Persian word 'Birian' which means fried before cooking and Birinj is the Persian word for rice. There are multiple legends relating to biryani which was originally brought to our kitchens by the Mughals. The art of cooking biryani pretty much requires precision about the quantity, spices, and timing.

The method used to prepare the authentic biryani is through 'dum pukht' 'Larhmeen' or slow oven cooking in which food is tightly sealed and cooked over a slow fire. The authentic taste has undergone minor modifications and refinements by every region, community, and socio-economic condition in India. The medieval period saw layering of spices, meat, and long-grained brown rice to begin with further it saw the rice being replaced with scented and aged basmati rice. In South India, local varieties like Kaima or jeeraka shala, provide their own distinct flavour and texture to the dish. The meat varies from goat, sheep, poultry, beef, eggs to seafood like fish, prawns, and crab. Fragrance heightens its appeal; one can also find biryani scented with rosewater, edible ittar, or kewra water and saffron.

Based on early Persian kitchen culture all the ingredients are put together in an earthen pot in the case of a veg biryani and the wheat dough is spread over the container like a lid, to seal the food. The sealing of the lid with dough is termed 'maturing' and this seal is called 'purdah' or veil. The other aspect is 'roasting' which is a slow process of persuading each ingredient to slowly release its maximum flavour. Another important factor is the lower calorie count in this method of cooking. Dum or steam cooking is a slow process wherein food retains all its natural aromas and gets filled with the richness and nutrients of its ingredients.

Biryani has always been associated with a misconception that it is the numero uno dish for non-vegetarians, the most famous ones being Hyderabadi chicken biryani and Lucknowi chicken biryani. Considering this fact, veg biryani is sidelined from the options available. It is, in fact, a very healthy and scrumptious dish, keeping in mind the benefits of dum cooking. The most favoured options in veg biryani are Hyderabadi and Lucknowi veg biryani, as the name suggests they hail from the cities having a royal past in itself. There are now a number of platforms/apps/sites in major cities which are serving the authentic veg biryani taste online directly at your doorstep. The zaika or flavour in these biryani are running across through generations in every nook and corner of this country which are cooked in handis using Dum Pukht.