So, the dumping ground of the not-so-perfect biryanis, or the vegetable versions of biryani, has been termed a Pulao Land. Why so? Is Pulao inferior to a Biryani? Are there regulatory standards which define or differentiate a biryani from a Pulao? Is vegetable biryani, or any other biryani made with anything other than meat, really a thing? These are the questions in the minds of many food lovers. And with due respect to all the debaters of the topic and the emotional lovers of the romantic biryanis of India, their conviction or confusion is somewhat valid and, at the same time, non-justified. The answer lies in the details and justified exceptions that give the rightful names, be it a biryani or a pulao, their existential identity. So, Let’s touch upon this topic, Pulao vs Biryani.
Per popular belief, Pulao and Biryani find their roots outside India. As the name suggests, Pulao has evolved from a central Asian dish called Pilaf, and Biryani, as many believe, came from Persia. Both Pulao and Biryani use rice cooked with spices. Biryani, as considered, must contain meat, and Pulao, or a Pilaf, can be made with meat and vegetables or devoid of meat or vegetables. However, as both these dishes arrived in India, they adapted to the local palates, and Indian versions were created based on the regional ingredients. Biryani came to North India first, or did it reach the coast of Kerala much earlier through Arabic traders? Is the biryani cooked in Lucknow, or Awadh region, a Biryani or a Pulao? These are some of the other questions that need to be answered to reach a conclusive understanding of what to be called a biryani and what not.
The definite conditions of a Biryani are considered to be rice and meat cooked separately, then layered one above the other, with fried onions. Finally, the layered meat and rice are cooked through a Dum cooking process, in which the cooking vessel is sealed not to let any steam escape and is cooked on low fire until both the rice and the meat are cooked to perfection. Various aromatic spices are used, and saffron provides the quintessential zaffrani colour. Only some of the biryanis cooked in India will fulfill all the conditions, and exceptions to this method have created distinct biryanis in different regions of India. In Hyderabad, a popular method of cooking biryani is the ‘Kacche Gosht ki Biryani’, where rice and raw marinated meat are cooked together, with fried onions and mint leaves concealed in a Dum. Going just by the taste of it, Hyderabadi ‘Kacche gosht ki biryani’ is considered the Numero uno biryani in India. It is by far the most popular biryani; however, even in Hyderabad, ‘Pakke gosht ki biryani’ is prepared too. Thereby creating versions within a regional version of biryani. Which is more authentic, the ‘Kacche gosht ki biryani’ or the ‘Pakke gosht ki biryani’? Is Gosht (Mutton) biryani the more authentic biryani, or even a chicken biryani is an authentic biryani too? This is just the beginning of the discussion, are you intrigued already?
In Lucknow, the Nawabs, who came directly from Iran (Persia), ruled for centuries, and their influence on the Awadhi food has provided it with a subtle, nuanced, and royal touch. Many spices are used, though, in limited quantities, ensuring no one ingredient outdoes another in the flavour. The amalgamation of these different spice flavours makes the lucknawi biryani (Or Pulao?) so delicious yet light on the gut. However, a unique method of preparing the meat and rice dishes in Lucknow is to cook the rice in the meat stock called Yakhani, along with the meat. ‘Mutton Yakhani Pulao’ of Awadh does not necessarily follow the layering of meat and rice. However, saffron is added between the layers of rice.
Pulao, in this sense, is a much more sophisticated preparation and in no way inferior to a Biryani; in the context of Lucknow, or even in Kashmir, the meat and rice cooked in ‘Yakhani’ is, in a manner, a superior, and more flavourful preparation. But probably because of the meat in the Yakhni Pulao; calling it biryani doesn’t irk many food fanatics. Still, the older generations of Khansamas, or grandmothers of Lucknow, will undoubtedly tell you the nuance and the charm of preparing and eating a ‘Mutton Yakhni Pulao’.
Down South, In the Malabar region, Biryani has a huge craze; the Thalaserry style of biryani is, again, not necessarily layered, and even, as many believe, the long grain basmati rice is a crucial feature of biryani, most biryanis from South India, do not use it. A short and thin rice called ‘Jeera Kasala’, or ‘Seeraga Samba rice’, is the preferred choice for a biryani. In Malabar, or its culinary capital, Thalaserry, Meat is stewed in a masala gravy, which has spices, onions, and even a bit of tomato, preparing a flavourful base of spicy meat stew, in which the rice cooked with whole spices, is added, and then sealed and cooked in a dum style. Meat and rice are cooked separately, and the dum process is followed. However, the lack of layering does not take away the fantastic flavours of a Thalaserry biryani. And we can never dare to call it a pulao. It’s one of the fantastic biryanis of India, which has the south Indian Malabari touch. Thus, a different rice and a slightly different cooking style than a Hyderabadi biryani create a different version, but it is a biryani nonetheless.
Similarly, Dindigul, Ambur, Madurai, Chettinad, Bangalore (Donne Biryani) and Andhra Pradesh Biryanis are there, with slightly different preparation styles, each creating a unique yet flavourful version of a Biryani. In Kolkata, potatoes are added to a biryani. It’s another addition that irks some food fanatics, who contest the presence of potatoes, calling it a not-so-perfect Biryani. However, a true food lover (Including all the Bengalis) will tell you how fantastic is well-made Kolkata biryani. As it was invented in the kitchen of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, The Kolkata style biryani was created or instead evolved from the Awadhi style after the Exiled nawab of Awadh came to Kolkata and experimented with the then-known techniques of making a biryani, or the Awadhi Pulao.
In Mysore, though, a highly flavourful Mutton Pulao is prepared in the messes that ply in the city. Mutton and rice are cooked together; however, the mutton pulao carries substantial spice and chillies and is cooked using the dum method on a wood or coal fire. Basmati rice often goes missing from the south Indian meat and rice dishes, and the regional rice varieties take over. And having interacted with many food lovers in South India, and after eating hundreds of Biryanis in south India myself, I can vouch for the delicious flavour and texture a Jeera Kasala rice can provide, absorbing all the flavours of meat, and is simply a treat to eat along with the meat.
Biryani as a dish, or a dish which inspired it, may have come from regions outside India; however, it has developed and evolved in many different parts of the country. And thus, as it was destined to be, different styles of Biryanis flourish across the country. If they all follow the same method and a set regulation of cooking, then most of the biryanis would taste and feel the same, which is far from the truth, if we analyse how Biryani has developed and become part of the Indian culinary culture. India is the country which made the famed Biryani, Popular across the world, And thus, accepting its different styles is the only natural progression.
Similarly came the vegetarian version. The popularity of the rice and meat cooked in the spicy masala, layered and cooked in dum, has fascinated food lovers. With many delicious vegetables in India and a vast vegetarian population, vegetarian versions of the famous biryani will inevitably be prepared, which must be welcomed and celebrated.
So, a vegetarian biryani prepared in a method similar to the meat version deserves a rightful name, Vegetable Biryani. Being an imitation, it only speaks about the greatness of biryani as a culinary preparation. We must look beyond such arguments, where vegetable biryani is being ridiculed and called a Pulao. In that case, a pulao is another dish that follows a different recipe and is not necessarily vegetarian or inferior to a biryani. So let vegetarians have the delicious vegetable or a kathal biryani, and meat lovers can enjoy the Hyderabadi Kacche Gosht ki Biryani or an Awadhi Mutton Yakhani Pulao. Make peace, and cook delicious food, whether meat dishes or vegetarian.
Sidharth Bhan Gupta, Founder of 361 Degrees Hospitality, is a Hospitality / Food and Beverage / Restaurant Consultant, Travelling across India on a Cultural and Culinary Exploration.
