Chef Harpal Reveals Biryani Hacks, Votes For Hyderabadi Version

MUMBAI, (IANS) – Celebrity chef Harpal Singh Sokhi has shared some biryani cooking hacks taught to him by Ustad Habib Pasha, emphasizing that it is one dish that represents the country.

Harpal shared, “I think biryani is a complete food in itself. It’s a one-pot meal with protein, carbs, and the right kind of flavors. Biryani is one dish that represents India very well and is a well-sought-after dish across the country. Each state or place has its own flavor depending on how they have adapted themselves to biryani. So it is, in a way, I think, the perfect dish that represents Indian culture and the country itself,” he added.

The chef Harpal said, “I learnt to make biryani in Nizam’s kitchen. It is the epitome of perfection. The true biryani, in my opinion, comes from the Hyderabadi tradition. Begum Mumtaz Khan taught me the art of using spices. The Hyderabadi biryani stands out because it has just the right number of spices, providing great flavor without being overpowering, unlike the Awadhi or Calcutta Biryanis.”

When asked about a specific biryani hack, the chef said; “Few cooking hacks that Ustad Habib Pasha taught me is that biryani is actually mutton biryani. There is no other biryani, I don’t think so. Chicken is more like a pulao. It never existed in the early days. The first cooking hack that Habib Pasha taught me was, ‘you need to select the right kind of meat and marinate it with dry spices, and you actually have to kind of hammer them by lifting the meat up’.”

“After mixing the dry spices, you have to lift the meat up and throw it back into the pot. This thumping, which keeps happening for at least 20-25 minutes, breaks up the protein structure of the meat and adds to the cooking time. And the second thing Habib Pasha would do is, when he cooks the rice, he would add a little bit of milk to it. This would brighten up the basmati rice and add to the end flavor and consistency of the biryani,” he said.

Harpal continued, “He would also always say, chef, you need to boil the water with shahi jeera and add salt to it. And the salt taste of the water should be higher so that the rice absorbs the right kind of salt in it. And then the product gets the right taste of salt. It is not salty, but it brings in the right taste of salt. And that is the most important. Layering of biryani should be such that the end product gets you a fluffy rice biryani.”