Food and Purani Dilli go hand in hand. No person in this world can enter purani Dilli and come out hungry. The hustling Jama’a Masjid area or the area connecting to Chandni chowk or Sadar Bazaar offer food for all. whether you are a vegetarian or a non vegetarian, whether you are in mood for parantha or just a plate of kebab or plain simple juice/tea…You find them all.
Its a place where only the brave hearts can survive. I still remember my time in Purani Dilli as a kid and I used to hate being on the cycle riksha. It takes major skills to survive sitting on those small seats with bags and get through without falling each time the rikshawala applies break, which is just around 20 times a minute…LOLzzz. But, trust me, the food is worth more and you will find the trip an amazing experience.
If you do ever visit, do try the awesome non vegetarian restaurants opposite Jama’a Masjid and also ask the riksha wala to take you to paranthe wali gali. The lane has almost every parantha that exists and is a parantha heaven for every foodie.
Coming back to this Biryani. I believe the original recipe for this Biryani is definitely the Mughals trying the initial ways of cooking Biryani. My reasoning is comparing this dish to many rice and meat based dishes cooked in the Middle east, where in a similar manner the meat is 50% cooked and is tenderized using raw papaya or Vinegar and then the rice, which is only 20% cooked, is layered on top of the half cooked meat and the steam generated from cooking the meat cooks the rice. The recipe is pretty hassle free and simple.
If you still are confused with any step or would like to learn how to cook this dish, feel free to contact me.