On the biryani trail at Kolkata's Shiraz Golden Restaurant, only till November end

Although each household more or less followed the same recipe, there would be a slight difference, an undertone that often told us from which neighbour’s home the biryani had come.

Each family had its own way of touching up on the standard recipe.

Much later, I realised that biryani had moved far from what is considered its traditional homes, Lucknow and Hyderabad.

Even Kolkata boasts of its typical biryani, an Awadhi (Oudh) version that came to the city with the exiled Nawab Wajid Ali Shah.

Today, the dish is identifiable by the presence of a boiled potato and an egg, along with the mutton or chicken.

However, according to Shahanshah Mirza, the great-great grandson of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, adding the potato was the twist that the Nawab’s Metiabruj kitchen gave to the typical Awadhi biryani, but not the egg.

His wife, Fatima Mirza, while talking about the cooking style at a city event, added, “The Nawab’s bawarchis were known for experimenting. It is more likely that on one such occasion, potatoes may have been added and the dish tasted fine. So adding the potato became a fashion.”

A glance at the culinary map of India reveals that this essentially rice and mutton (or chicken) dish has been adopted and adapted depending on local tastes and ingredients.

Some of the regional varieties include Malabar biryani from Kerala, Ambur and Chettinad biryani from Tamil Nadu, Navayathi biryani from Karnataka, Murshidabadi biryani from Bengal and Kutchi biryani from Gujarat.

Have read thus far, if you are wondering that a year’s holiday is necessary to sample them all, here is some good news.

Shiraz Golden Restaurant of Kolkata is holding a Biryani Festival till the end of November (and may extend the date on popular demand) where you can taste some of the typical dishes, both regional varieties and chef’s innovations. Most of the dishes are available in mutton and chicken versions.

Available during lunch hour, according to Manager Pervez, the festival is offering Mughlai Dum Gosht biryani, Mutton Yakhni biryani, Banjara biryani, Mutton Moti biryani (where bite-sized mutton koftas are added to the rice), the Murshidabadi biryani (an adaptation of the Kolkata biryani where green chillies and coriander are added), Ambur biryani (where a tomato base is used for a tangy taste), etc. And of course, the typical Kolkata biryani is always there for a comforting meal.

“Serving flavoursome biryani has been our forte,” said Ishtiaque Ahmed, Director, Shiraz Golden Restaurant, “and we would like to explore the options keeping the true flavour intact.”

Cost: Rs 700+ for two.  


Reporting by Uttara Gangopadhyay.

Images by Avishek Mitra