This Biryani is a signature dish from Belgaum, cooked with baby potatoes and flavored with saffron and cream. Belgaum is a place in Karnataka and I have a sister in law who belongs to that region, but this isn’t a recipe from her though. In fact, in my family no one makes chicken Biryani combined with any vegetables.. Yupp!!! you got that correct, They are hardcore non vegetarians specially when it comes to Biryanis. Bengaluru does have the tradition of cooking meat or chicken Biryanis with carrots and peas but it still isn’t something that is seen very often or is enjoyed much either.
Coming back to Belgaum Biryani, its great for people who prefer their Biryani a little creamier with the spice and also if you like the flavors by Coriander leaves, mint leaves and green chilies but don’t like the texture between your bites. Blending them adds the flavor without you having to be cautious between your bites to not bite on that chili… The potatoes add their own crisp flavor and its beautiful in its own way.
I can give out more options to cook this Biryani completely vegetarian or with meat or fish. Contact for more details.
I have some weird connection to bengali cuisine. I wish I knew the reason. They just so easily attract me and I literally crave to try them. The funniest part is that I am not a fan of Bengali sweets, that actually has the world going crazy. I am a fan of their Biryani, egg rolls, fish curries, fish fry and the chicken curries. You can search this site for more recipes from the east region.
Coming back to this Biryani. Once during my search for a new recipe, I came across the fact that Bangladesh has a unique flavors during Ramadan, specially for Biryani. This particular Biryani is only served during Ramadan in Bangladesh. Ramadan is a wonderful time for Muslims, actually let me rephrase it, Ramadan is a beautiful time for every food lover. As much as some people think that fasting is tough for Muslims, the fact is that most Muslims gain weight during Ramadan. I India, most foods like samosas, kebabs, Haleem etc are made specially during Ramadan and street foods are sold all night with every food you can think of. From crispy pastries to Turkey legs, fried fish to Tandoori Raan, different kinds of Mithai to Icecreams…Ramadan is a month of feasting….
This Biryani recipe is simple and delicious. The steps are easy to follow and pics and recipes show things in complete detail. It can be made in Fish as well with few changes to the recipe. You can always contact me to get the details.
The Non vegetarian recipes of Awadh are influenced from the Nawabs of Awadh, who were rulers of the Persian origin and settled in India. The dishes were always rich in nuts, saffron, spices and ghee. With time, the Persian rulers, just like the Mughals developed liking for chilies and a few other spices in India and developed new flavors and dishes. In modern times, the famous Awadhi Murgh Musallam, kebabs and Biryani are a gift from those ancient times.
Awadhi recipes are not only different from Hyderabadi cuisine but also different from the Lucknowi cuisine. Very few people understand that Awadh and Lucknow could be names of the same region, even then the recipes are very different. Awadhi recipes are more ancient and depict the flavors from Persia more than the Lucknowi cuisine.
One thing that holds a very distinct flavor, is the idea of using whole spices, as opposed to the use of a ready made masala. The masala used in Awadh Biryani has to be grounded just before you start cooking, to keep the flavor and fragrance intact. The original Lucknow Biryani does not require you to grind the spices, they keep it whole.
The Awadh Biryani can also be made in Vegetarian style and hopefully, I will try it soon and post it as well.
I learnt this Biryani from my Mother-In-Law. And I love the way she makes it, just perfect mix of the spices and delicious . My Mother in law hasn’t been cooking regularly for quiet some time. She enjoys her retirement since she has daughter in laws to take care of everything needed to run the house. My husband moved to USA at the age of 23 and none of his brothers were married then, so he would always miss the flavors of food cooked by his mom. The hardest part was that he missed the transition of his mother giving away the cooking turns to his sister laws and whenever he visited India, his taste buds would miss his mother’s food and that could not be replaced by the food cooked by his amazing sisters and sister in laws.
By the way, my sister in laws are amazing cooks and some of their dishes are just hard to try out. They have their own charisma which makes their dishes very flavorful. So, one fine day, while enjoying our vacation, I made it a point to jot down how my mother in law made her one in a million Biryani and she was kind enough to share everything she did, with me. As soon as we returned, I made this Biryani and since then, this is my husband’s most favorite. My kids love it too. Something about the spices is such that this Biryani tastes better with goat/ lamb than with chicken, but then again, chicken is also delicious, if that’s your preference.
Mr. Parveez has always been a big fan of the south Indian Food varieties, mainly the vegetarian food. One of the rice dishes, were Vangibhaath. Its basically eggplant cooked with spices and a few other ingredients and mixed with rice and served with peanut chutney on the side.
He had been making this dish since he started cooking in USA and back home, this dish was one of the few dishes that his elder sister would make at home. Soon after we got married, on one of his “Special Breakfast weekend”, he made Vangibhaath. Now, I am not a huge fan of eggplant, but I decided not to tell that to Mr. Parveez since the dish was made with so much love. I tried and I was more than happy to not bring up my dislike for eggplants.
This dish is amazing. The eggplants are completely cooked and merge really well with the spices of the dish. The cashews and chana daal ad a lot of crunch to the dish and lastly the flavor of tamarind is so well blended with the dish that all you would ever taste is a delicious rice dish made with little effort and a lot of love.
We love Biryani. Till date, I have cooked over 45 varieties of Biryani, with different flavors and different styles of cooking. Its amazing how beautifully the flavors blend in together and give out fabulous taste.
Biryani was introduced by Mughals in India. But with time, the addition of spices, chilies, local produce were added to enhance and make numerous varieties of Biryanis. And, I believe that with time, the vegetarians in India adapted the dish and decided to make the vegetarian option. Nevertheless, meat/ chicken/ vegetables, Biryani is always delicious.
Usually, Biryanis always goes hand in hand with chicken/ meat and is a non vegetarians delight. But, little do we realize that vegetarian Biryani would be equally delicious. While making vegetable Biryani, its always advised to use a variety of vegetables, of your choice. The good thing is that veggies are incorporated so easily that even with people who dislike them, enjoy it in this form.
