Beef Biryani

Biryani is a set of rice-based foods made with spices, rice and meat, fish, eggs or vegetables. Biriyani is derived from the Farsi word “Birian” which means fried or roasted. Based on the name, and cooking style (Dum), one can conclude that the dish originated in Persia and/or Arabia. Trade relations have existed between Arabia and the Indian subcontinent from ancient times. Early 7th century with the advent of Arab traders, in the pre-Islamic era, Arab traders used to visit the Malabar region, which linked them with the ports of South East Asia. According to Historians Elliot and Dowson in their book The History of Subcontinent, the first ship bearing Muslim travelers was seen on the Indian coast as early as 630 AD. In the 8th century, the province of Debal(Sind)- Pakistan was conquered by an Arab army led by Muhammad bin Qasim Al-Thaqafi (c. 31 December 695–18 July 715) Sindh became the easternmost province of the Umayyad Caliphate. Arab traders used the rout from Yemen – Iraq – Iran and they entered to Sind and then to Bombay and beyond. Biryani originated in Persia and might have taken couple of different routes (travelers and merchants) to arrive in Pakistan then India and beyond. One legend has it that (Timur, from the Perso-Arabic 1398) brought it down from Kazakhstan via Afghanistan to Pakistan.

Beef Biryani
This is a delicious Pakistani rice dish which is often reserved for very special occasions such as weddings, parties, or holidays. It has a lengthy preparation, but the work is definitely worth it. For biryani, always use long grain rice. Basmati rice with its thin, fine grains is the ideal variety to use. Popular variations use chicken, beef or goats meat. Biryani is prepared with raw meat, which is marinated in yoghurt and then cooked along with the rice by sealing the handi (vessel) with a layer of dough, and is cooked on dum – steam. Vegetable biryani is made of various vegetables like cauliflower, carrots, beans etc. Biryani is usually served with, yoghurt with mint in it, on the side. It may be garnished with slices of boiled egg or fried onions or dried fruits.

Types of Biryani:

• Hyderabadi Biriyani
• Mughlai Biriyani
• Memoni Biriyani
• Awadhi Biriyani
• Calcutta Biriyani
• Danbauk Biriyani
• Thai Biriyani
• Iranian Biriyani
• Sindhi/Lahori Biriyani
• Kacchi Biriyani
• Tahari Biriyani
• South East Asian Biriyani
• Sri Lankan Biriyani

Written by: Khalid Mahmood

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