Biryani

The biryani is India s most beloved dish one that has spread to all the four corners of the country and assumed many forms. It originated in the Mughal courts, flowering in the jagirs of Awadh, and it is in Lucknow, Delhi and the small Muslim principalities of north India that one finds the classic versions, subtle, refined and delicately flavoured. Pratibha Karan gives us not just the definitive recipes from these regions but unearths rare and old dishes. In the south, the biryani has an equally distinguished lineage, if not more so. There are the blueblooded biryanis of Hyderabad. Away from the royal courts, the biryani has adapted itself into a spicy local delicacy in Tamil Nadu, with many towns like Salem, Aambur, Dindigul boasting of their own signature version of the dish. Kerala too is home to many. Immaculately researched, full of extraordinary recipes, and beautifully designed and photographed, Biryani is the ultimate book on this princely dish.