Hyderabadi biryani
Hyderabadi biryani is a style of biryani originating from Hyderabad, India made with basmati rice and meat. Originating in the kitchens of the Nizam of Hyderabad, it combines elements of Hyderabadi and Mughlai cuisines. Hyderabad biryani is a key dish in Hyderabadi cuisine and it is so famous that the dish is considered synonymous with the city of Hyderabad.
History
Hyderabad was conquered by the Mughals in the 1630s, and ruled by its Nizams. Mughlai culinary traditions joined with local traditions to create Hyderabadi cuisine. Local folklore attributes the creation of Hyderabadi biryani to the chef of the first Nizam, Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah I, in the mid-18th century, during a hunting expedition. In 1857, when the Mughal Empire declined in Delhi, Hyderabad emerged as the center of South Asian culture, resulting in a mix of innovations in Hyderabadi biryani.Origin
The exact origin of the dish is uncertain. Despite legends attributing it to the Nizam's chef, the biryani is of South Indian origin, derived from pilaf varieties brought to South Asia by Arab traders. Pulao may have been an army dish in medieval India. Armies would prepare a one-pot dish of rice with whichever meat was available. The distinction between "pulao" and "biryani" is arbitrary. Hyderabadi biryani incorporated Deccani or Telangana flavors of, perhaps in the Nizam's kitchen.Ingredients
Base ingredients are basmati rice, meat, dahi, fried onion and ghee. Spices include cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, bay leaves, nutmeg, papaya paste, caraway, mace flower, star anise, lemon, and saffron.Hyderabadi biryani is of two types: the kachchi biryani, and the pakki biryani.