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NOT ALL biryanis are created equal. The ubiquitous South Asian dish of pillowy rice layered with meat, chicken or fish appears in myriad manifestations across the length of the Indian subcontinent. In the northern city of Lucknow, biryani is heady with rosewater or jasmine; in Bengal, on the east coast, recipes feature fish and mustard seeds; in seaside Kerala, prawns, coconut or aniseed are embedded in the rice; Goans aren’t shy about their use of vinegar or olives. Yet Indian food aficionados tend to agree that one city’s offerings stand out above the rest. “Among all the biryanis, the thoroughbreds are from Hyderabad,”…