One of the debates at the dinner table is the perceived superiority of one type of biryani over others. There can be no better way to come to a decision than by tasting each type.
The Biryani Utsab at Smart Connect is providing that opportunity. The workplace-cum-lodging facility in front of Bengal Silicon Hub is hosting a festival where six types of biryani are on offer till December 10.
“Winter, the season of carnivals, is here. The biryani festival is for everyone. The cheapest variety is Egg Biryani for non-vegetarians and Soya Chap Biryani for vegetarians. A plate costs Rs 104, which is within the reach of students,” said Debashis Sen, the managing director of Hidco.
Biryani was the hottest selling item at the stalls put up around the year-end at Eco Park, he pointed out, triggering the idea for the festival.
The festival has been on for a week now. “The most popular item is Kachchi Biryani which is cooked in a Dhakai style. It has a slightly sweet feel with nuts and raisins. The raw mutton is marinated for two hours, allowing it to get tender, and added raw to the rice. It is cooked on slow fire for another two hours. So the flavours stay intact,” said Snehasis Sinha, general manager (tourism), Hidco. This is the only biryani to be cooked in Gobindobhog rice, unlike the rest which require long grain basmati.
“We are serving another type of kachchi biryani but that is cooked Hyderabadi style in which the raw meat is marinated with a lot more spices, especially red chilli powder, green chilli and ginger, and added to the rice on slow fire along with the spices,” he added.
For a taste of pakki biryani, try out the Awadhi, or the Calcutta variety, which was introduced by the exiled Nawab of Oudh, Wajid Ali Shah. Here the spices are strained out in muslin cloth after the meat is cooked. This is the most important difference — that the meat is 70 to 80 per cent cooked before being added to the rice. The biryani has a light and refined flavour as the spices are not retained.
All these biryanis cost the same, Rs 267 for mutton and Rs 236 for chicken.
A type of biryani that has powered its way into the menu is Bamboo Biryani, which is cooked in the hollow space inside a slice of bamboo and served that way. “It is very popular at our tribal cuisine restaurant Dhamsa at Eco Park,” Sinha pointed out. It is the costliest on the menu, with the mutton variety costing Rs 314 and the chicken one Rs 262.
Chicken Roast is the most popular side dish, followed by Chicken Chap, both priced Rs 174.