Amira Nature Foods Ltd

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Jewelled Persian Rice

Once upon a time, long long ago, I had an Iranian boyfriend. He introduced me to a whole new cuisine, which, although similar to the Middle Eastern one I was more familiar with, was distinct and flavoursome. It was rare that he did any cooking, but when he did he always made the most delicious rice in the classic Persian way, complete with tahdig.

Tahdig is the bottom layer of rice which forms a crunchy buttery crust and is the prize that everyone hopes to get. Despite having eaten it any number of times, I’d never prepared rice this way myself. When I was sent some basmati rice and the ingredients to make jewelled Persian rice, based on the classic Javaher Polow, I was filled with nostalgia and was cooking almost before I’d unpacked the box.

The rice in question is Amira’s superior aromatic rice and it really is what it says on the tin – or do I mean packet? The grains are incredibly long and the fragrance, even before it is cooked, is deeply aromatic. In fact I spent a considerable amount of time with my nose in the bag just breathing in the scent. Apparently basmati rice needs to be aged to add flavour, something I was completely unaware of and this one is aged from 12 to 18 months.

The recipe I was sent was for jewelled Persian rice with pomegranates. walnuts and parsley. Luckily, I had plenty of parsley in the garden as that wasn’t provided. I also had a bag of broad beans, some courgettes, a red pepper and some newly harvested garlic, so these went into the pot too and added a little extra protein to the dish. I didn’t have any oranges, so I substituted a little grated lemon zest instead. As well as making a few adjustments to the ingredients, I also simplified the method a little – I don’t like over complicating things and having to use too much paraphernalia. The dish is very nearly vegan, there is only a pat of butter added and that could easily be left out, though I can’t vouch for the tahdig if it is.

Well what can I say? It was delicious, a good combination of eastern fragrance, fruit, spice and mouthwatering rice. Despite me going my own way, the tahdig was perfect. The dish lasted us two days and we ate it unaccompanied. It really didn’t need anything else. The tahdig disappeared on day one when it was nice and crunchy, but the rice was easily reheated the next day to make another satisfying meal.

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Tunisian tomato rice with Chermoula fish

For the tomato rice:

300g Amira basmati rice

1 400g tin chopped tomatoes

450ml vegetable stock

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

To garnish:

a small bunch coriander, chopped

lemon wedges

For the Chermoula fish:

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp preserved lemon skin, finely chopped

1 ½ tbsp ground coriander

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground ginger

3 cloves garlic, crushed

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

500g skinless boneless white fish (cod, haddock or Pollack),     cut into portions

a little olive oil to shallow fry

What to do

Rinse the Amira rice under running water and drain     well. Tip into a bowl and stir through the tomatoes and vegetable stock.     Set aside for 30 minutes.

  Whilst the rice is soaking, make the Chermoula paste by     mixing all the ingredients in a small bowl. Lay the fish on a plate and     rub the Chermoula all over. Cover and set aside in the fridge to marinate.

  Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the onion over a     medium low heat for around 15 minutes until starting to soften and become     lightly caramelized. Add the garlic and fry for a further minute before     pouring in the soaked rice and tomato mixture, stirring well. Season with     a little salt and pepper and bring up to the boil, cover with a tight     fitting lid or snuggly tucked piece of foil and boil for 5 minutes. Turn     off the heat, without removing the lid, and set the timer for 15 minutes.     Remove the lid and fork through the rice, which should be perfectly cooked     and there should be no liquid left. If it is still a touch wet, recover     and leave for a further 5 minutes. Rest, covered, whilst you cook the     fish.

  Heat a little oil in a frying pan, preferably a non     stick one. When it is hot, add the fish fillets, cooking them without     turning to allow a delicious crust develop, for 3 minutes on one side,     then turn and cook for 2-3 minutes the other side. If your fish fillets     are particularly thick you may need to cook a little longer.

  To serve, spoon the rice on plates and top with the     fish. Garnish with a scattering of coriander and a squeeze of lemon juice.

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Lohri Special Til Rice

This year, Lohri is celebrated on 13th of January, 2016 in India. Lohri is a festival celebrated with a lot of zeal and fervour in North India. The festival traditionally marks the dusk of winters and arrives on a day that is the shortest day and the longest night. In Punjab, however, it is believed that the festival is associated with the harvesting of rabi crops. This becomes relevant as the land of Punjab was traditionally the land of farmers. Hence, Lohri is celebrated as the harvest festival.

On this day, people who follow the tradition, eat jaggery, gajak, sarson ka saag, makki ki roti, radish and ground nuts.  The most important aspect, without which the festival is not considered complete, is the cooking of Til Rice (sesame seed rice). Til rice is a delicious delicacy for many occasions since til is very good to eat during the winter season.

AMIRA Foods has always believed that our life must be a celebration and what better way to make it larger than life than on special occasions. Our belief reverberates in our motto- Discover, Create, Enjoy! As an Indian origin business, we are proud and passionate to connect people across the globe through the common language of food, though our special AMIRA basmati rice.

So here is our Lohri special ritual Til Rice recipe that is easy to cook and amazing to eat. Til Chowli (Rice) recipe Ingredients: Sesame seed (Til) 1 Cup AMIRA Basmati Rice (Soaked for 3 hours) 1 Cup Ground nut seeds (roasted and without salt) ¼ Cup Ghee 3-4 tsp Dry fruits (optional) Revadi (250 gm) Jaggery ............................................................................ Toast sesame seeds (til) in a deep pan until the colour changes to light brown. Do not over-cook as the smell will then become more strong. Next, heat ghee in a pan and add soaked AMIRA Basmati Rice in it, cooking the same for 5 minutes or until the rice becomes soft. Cook the groundnuts separately in ghee.

Take a new bowl and mix all the ingredients - roasted rice, sesame seeds, ground nuts, revadis and dry fruits. Add Jaggery (to your taste) and serve this as the traditional “Til-chowli” dish of the Lohri festival.

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Amira Indian Basmati Rice

The Amira Foods chief plans to transform the commodity-led rice market by introducing attributes such as taste, quality and sustainability.

Group managing director Karan A Chanana is the fourth generation of his family to lead Indian Basmati Rice company Amira Foods.

He has increased the Amira Food Company’s turnover  and led the flotation of the group on the New York Stock Exchange , The brand has recently had its Basmati Rice listed at Morrisons in the UK.

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Amira Snacks Navratan Mix

It is a spicy mixture , lentils, peanuts, puffed rice and sun dried potato chips. A combination of dried nuts blended with beaten rice and gram flour balls, it makes a great snack.

Amira Food India is the leading manufacturer of Rice and snacks. Many families enjoy the taste of the delicious cuisines provided by Amira’s A known name in every household, Amira promises great taste and good quality. Its product Amira Bhujia sev makes for a great snack. When the spices, salt and the entire gamut of ingredients come together to create a taste that can never be substituted, then a namkeen is created. Too tasty to avoid, you have to buy Amira’s online now!

Related Product :

Amira Nature Foods Ltd (the “Company” or “Amira”) (NYSE: ANFI), a leading global provider of packaged Indian specialty Basmati Rice, today announced that despite the expiration of the lockup agreement between Amira and Karan A. Chanana, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, that was entered into in connection with Amira’s Pure Basmati Rice initial public offering, Mr. Chanana does not plan to sell Amira Basmati Rice, and rather intends to hold all of the Amira shares beneficially owned by him. Mr. Chanana beneficially owns 99.9% of the fully diluted Amira ordinary shares subject to such lockup agreements, all of which are expiring today.

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Premium Basmati Rice

The essence, aroma and taste of each grain of Amira Premium Basmati Rice can be ascribed to the special soil and climatic conditions of the misty Himalayas. To bring to you consistent and excellent taste, experienced professionals oversee the cultivation, ensure consistent seed quality and apply various protection techniques to the crop. On cooking, each grain of Amira  Basmati Rice elongates to three times of its uncooked size and tends to separate, adding a royal touch to every meal.

Benefits Of Amira Special Premium Basmati Rice: Amira Basmati Rice gets better with age. This High-Quality Basmati Rice is aged up to two years to enhance and intensify its taste, bouquet and cooking characteristics. The circle with the grains is our guarantee for minimum 2 years basmati rice.  Amira Basmati Rice cooks up fluffy with separate grains.

Cooking Method: Thoroughly rinse 1 cup of Amira Premium Basmati Rice and soak it for 30-35 minutes in lukewarm water. Add the soaked rice to 2.5 water. Cover with tight lid and remove the pan from fire. Wait for 5-10 minutes and serve. NOTE: If the cooked rice is too hard then use more water in next cooking and if the same is too soft use less water. Microwave Method : Place 1 cup of soaked Amira Basmati Rice in a deep microwave container, add 2.5 to 3 cups of water, add salt if desired. Cover container loosely with microwave cling film and cook medium or 60% for 10-15 minutes. Allow to stand for 15 minutes. Related Product : Amira Basmati Rice is a fragrant, fragile grain that needs to be handled with a gentle hand. Amira sells Basmati rice, a Premium Long-Grain Rice grown only in certain regions of the Indian sub-continent, under their flagship Amira Pure Basmati  brand as well as under other third party brands.

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Basmati Rice History Hyderabadi Biryani Amira Foods

Hyderabadi Biryani is one of the most celebrated and popular biryani dishes and one of my personal favourites.For those unaccustomed with Indian cuisine, biryani is a one-pot dish in which rice is seasoned with a variety of aromatic spices and mixed with meat, fish or vegetables. In traditional biryani preparation the Rice is mixed in a dish with precooked meat and vegetables and then baked in an oven.

As the name suggests, Hyderabadi Biryani hails from the historic state of Hyderabad, located in the south-central region of the Indian subcontinent. For centuries, Hyderabadi cuisine was renowned throughout the subcontinent for its exuberance and innovation and the biryani dishes that sprang from the region were no exception. Hyderabadi cuisine emphasises the use of ingredients that are meticulously selected, and stresses the importance of preparing the dishes at the right temperature and for certain amounts of time. Hyderabadi dishes are known for being incredibly full in flavour and Hyderabadi chefs pride themselves on their use and knowledge of a wide variety of rich and aromatic spices.

Like many biryani dishes, the Hyderabadi variants trace their origins to the Mughal Empire and have strong influences from Persian cuisine. The Mughal Empire was a large Persinate Empire that ruled over much of the Indian subcontinent from the 14th Century to the mid-19th Century. It is thought that the biriyani was first brought to Hyderabad during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. The Mughals appointed “Nizams” to act as viceroys over Hyderabad, and when Mughal control of the region collapsed in 1724 the Nizams ruled over Hyderabad as sovereign rulers. It was under the reign of the Nizams that the Hyderabadi biryani was truly born and refined to the world class delicacy we know today. The Nizams of Hyderabad were well known for being patrons of art, literature and culture, but were especially known for their love of fine food. The Nizams frequently threw spectacular banquets and the kitchens in their court were known for preparing and perfecting a wide variety of rich and elaborate dishes, with the Hyderbadi variations of biryani being the most prominent dishes developed during this period.

There are two main variants of Hyderabadi biryani; Kachchi Gosht Ki Biryani and Pakki Biryani. Kachchi Gosht Ki Biryani or Ghosth Dum Biryani, as it is alternatively known, is prepared by marinating succulently spiced pieces of meat and then soaking in yoghurt overnight. The meat is then mixed with long grain Basmati Rice and slowly cooked with traditional clay apparatus. With Pakki Biryani, the meat is marinated for a shorter amount of time and is then cooked with the seasoned rice in a dough-sealed vessel.

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Basmati Rice: A History of the World’s Favourite Grain

Basmati Rice holds a special place in my heart and in my heritage. For almost a century now, my family have sold and traded basmati. In recent years, Amira Foods has expanded its global reach to include different varieties of specialty rice, as well as an organic range and an array of snacks and confectionery. Regardless of how far we extend our products, Basmati Rice and our dedication to offering the highest quality basmati to the world lies at the heart of everything that we do. Basmati has a long and storied history. Fittingly for a grain of such unmatched quality, it has been a penchant of royalty for centuries, having been enjoyed by all from the Maharajahs of India to the Shahs of Imperial Persia. For thousands of years, basmati has grown in the foothills of the Himalayas across India and Pakistan and pure basmati is a protected product of the region.

There are several theories about the origins and etymology of the name ‘basmati’, but the most commonly accepted theory is that it is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Basmati’, which means ‘fragrant one’, a reference to the grain’s distinctive, sweet aroma. Although, grown in the Punjab region in what is now modern day India and Pakistan, basmati first began to make global inroads in the Middle Ages when Indian traders brought the grain to Persia and the Middle East at the height of the Mughal Empire, where the royalty and nobility quickly became besotted with the luxurious rice. Several centuries later, Amira Foods now lies at the forefront of endeavours to spread the taste and luxury of basmati around the world, with Amira products now sold across oceans in the UK, the UAE, USA, Germany and beyond.

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Making Basmati Rice Your Carb of Choice: Basmati v Bread

Carbohydrates make up an essential part of a healthy diet and provide our bodies with its main source of fuel. In many cultures, bread is the most commonly eaten source of carbohydrate, but as the following suggests, basmati could actually provide a healthier way for your body to obtain the energy it needs to get you through the day.

Basmati Has a Lower G.I.

Glycaemic Index or G.I. is a number used to measure the way certain foods release glucose into the blood stream. Foods with a low G.I. release glucose into the blood at a slower rate, and prevent against sudden spikes in blood sugar level after eating. Basmati has a much lower G.I. of around 52, making it a low glycaemic food, whereas white bread has a much higher G.I. of around 72 and as such, is better for those who suffer from type 2 diabetes and those who simply wish to avoid feeling too lethargic after their meals.

No Gluten

Gluten is a protein found in wheat and for people who suffer from coeliac disease, it can have several adverse health effects including bloating, irritable bowel syndrome and abdominal pain. The fact that wheat is one of the main components of bread, means that it is a no go food for people that suffer from coeliac disease, whereas basmati is completely gluten free. Basmati allows those whose bodies may have difficulty processing wheat to enjoy a filling carbohydrate based meal, without suffering the side effects that come with wheat consumption.

It’s More Versatile

Basmati Rice is an incredibly versatile ingredient and with some light seasoning can be incorporated as the key component in a huge variety of healthy meals such as jewelled Persian rice, vegetable pilaf and Vietnamese prawn and rice cucumber salad. While bread is also a staple that can be eaten with several meals, it most usually requires a spreading high in saturated fats, such as butter or jam, making it less healthy in the long run than a serving of basmati rice.

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Is Change the Cornerstone of Success?

While the formula might not turn us all into the next Richard Branson, the combination of intelligence, a bursting contacts' book, ambition, vision and a drop of good luck can definitely help put us on a pathway to success.

But are these ingredients really enough to see you succeed? In today's business environment - with constantly shifting social, economic and technological priorities - one element that's vital, but often overlooked, is change. The willingness and ability to embrace it with arms wide open is crucial.

It might be plain stubbornness, an aversion to risk, blind sightedness, pressure from the board, or resistant employees, but many business people fail to overlook the need to implement changes which could make the difference between whether their company is listed on the FTSE 100 or struggling to survive.

Lateral thinking, or the ability to think outside of the box, is the difference between survival and death for a business - Keshav Murugesh

The experiences of those who are brave enough to adopt change show there are huge financial and competitive advantages to be gained. Invest in change "Innovation is the most necessary ingredient in today's dynamic world," according to Karan Chanana, CEO of Amira Nature Foods Ltd, the first family owned Indian company to list on the New York Stock Exchange, with a total revenue of $547.3m.

"It is like air to humans, every breath of innovation survives and thrives," he said. Founded in 1915 as a small family-run trading company, Amira went on to become India's first fully-automated rice milling factory in 1993. By investing in a processing plant in Gurgaon, near New Delhi, Chanana refocused on premium rice products, which have a long shelf life, and organic products including rice, lentils and beans, and spices.

Chanana concedes that business people have different thresholds for change but believes everyone must accept that at some point they'll have to take a risk and enact change.

He believes that in business, challenges are a part of everyday life. "Anyone who believes that business or life will be a smooth ride is living in a fool's paradise."

Make or Break

"Lateral thinking, or the ability to think outside of the box, is the difference between survival and death for a business," said Keshav Murugesh, CEO of WNS, a leading Indian outsourcing company based in Mumbai.

He is known in his company as the "the turnaround guy", having built a reputation for improving an ailing company's fortunes at Syntel before joining WNS four years ago. In that time, he has doubled the company's market cap to $1.1b and revived its declining fortunes.

Murugesh believes companies stagnate because leaders are unable to push themselves out of their comfort zone and challenge the status quo.

"It's about the fear of failure, the requirement for new technology, and the cost of new investment," he said. "But people who can make these changes in a planned manner see success."

But, he said, people have to remember: "There is no such thing as failure, only some steps between where you are and where you aim to be. It's about planning, motivating and leading people, and also an element of luck which every CEO needs to have."

Size Matters "When it comes to change, size matters," according to John Brash, founder and CEO of Brash Brands, a brand consultancy headquartered in Dubai whose clients include The Burj Khalifa.

"On the whole, larger organisations do take longer to effect change. Approval processes are lengthier, plus the sheer volume of people to communicate with will naturally take longer," Brash said.

As an example he cites Dubai's Dnata, the world's fourth biggest combined air services provider which has a footprint in 73 airports in 37 countries and has more than 20,000 employees. Dnata embarked on a complete rebranding exercise in 2011 as a result of many acquisitions which had led to it quadrupling in size in just six years.

Brash said: "The new brand strategy, vision, mission and values needed to be communicated to over 20,000 people." He acknowledges, however, that some business leaders find change a painful process: "Whilst some business owners may have the desire to innovate, the process as a whole can seem overwhelming. If they are doing well whilst doing the same thing some can be reluctant to rock the boat. It's myopia of the market they are in."

Social and Digital Change Going forward, Brash believes that businesses must adapt to new forms of modern disruption such as social media, cloud computing, 3-D printing, technology and popular new business models that involve mobile apps such as Uber, the taxi service.

In the future, he said, the chief marketing officer will become an important decision-maker, on par with the CEO of a company because of the implications to a business of digital innovation and the impact of social media. "I want to understand how Generation Y thinks and acts," he said, "because they are the customers of the future."

One way WNS keeps innovation at the forefront of their business strategy is by leading an ideas division called Wincubate, where employees are encouraged to contribute new thinking. The team with the most promising concept wins $250,000 (excluding people costs) to launch their programme. After 18 months the decision is made on whether to create a new division to develop that idea as a business proposition, in which case the team members receive a 26% stake in the new company.

Brash said: "Without consistent lateral thinking any business will start to slow down over time. Younger, hungrier talent will come to the market and erode your share through their innovative methods.

"Many companies can get caught up watching their competition, rather than keeping pace with their consumers, especially the constantly evolving Gen Y."

After all, as Stephen Hawking said, "intelligence is the ability to adapt to change".

For More Information: https://www.sc.com/hereforgood/hk/is-change-the-cornerstone-of-success.html?camp_id=N:GP-S:HGD-M:O-P:NA-C:BNR-B:NA-R:NA-T:NA-O:NA-L:NA-D:150101-I:10002558

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Food Connect: How Cuisine has Been Used to Unite Cultures

Those of you who are familiar with the Amira Group may have heard of the phrase “Food Connect”. Food Connect is the idea that food lies at the very essence of bonding, and that great cuisine has the unique ability to bring together people and cultures all over the world through the universal language of food. Food Connect is connecting people with the language of food – an Amira ideology, vision and mission.

The use of food as a cultural and diplomatic tool is not a new thing however, and in recent years even national governments have realized the power food can have as a tool of cultural diplomacy. One example of this was the ‘Global Thai Program’. Launched in 2002 as the first government led culinary development initiative, the programme built Thai restaurants around the world and launched projects that spread knowledge and promoted Thai cuisine as a way of promoting the culture and economy of Thailand. More recently, the Malaysian government embarked on a programme of culinary diplomacy in 2010, recruiting world-renowned celebrity chefs including Rick Stein and Norman Musa as a way of increasing recognition of Malaysian cuisine abroad.

The power of food to unite cultures is not something that is solely the provinces of national governments, however, and there are several prominent examples of the power of food to build cultural bridges.

One well-known example includes the rise of Indian food in the UK. Restaurants serving Indian and South Asian cuisine first became popular in the UK as people from South Asia began immigrating to the country in large numbers during the 1950s and 1960s, with many of the new immigrants setting up restaurants serving their national cuisine. While these restaurants initially began as a way of catering to local immigrant communities, they soon rapidly expanded in popularity amongst Britons of all ethnic backgrounds, with many chefs tailoring their menus to become more adaptable to British cultural palates, and creating distinctive new British-Indian dishes in the process. Such is the role that food has played into the integration of the British Asian community that in 2001, the then British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook declared Chicken Tikka Masala as a “true national dish”. This is rather unique as Indian Restaurants in the UK serve food from the Indian Sub Continent creating a unification of the subcontinent with the language of food.

Through the recent establishment of the Amira Foundation, our company’s charitable foundation, we aim to take the power of Food Connect a step further. The Amira Foundation is, at its core, a food education charity through which we hope to educate people around the world on healthy eating, with a focus on nutrition. It is our ultimate mission, however, for the Amira Foundation to work as an extension of our Food Connect and to act as a channel through which we can foster relationships and raise awareness of international hunger and nutrition, all through the common language of food.

[basmatirice]

Making Basmati Rice Your Carb of Choice: Basmati v Bread

Carbohydrates make up an essential part of a healthy diet and provide our bodies with its main source of fuel. In many cultures, bread is the most commonly eaten source of carbohydrate, but as the following suggests, basmati could actually provide a healthier way for your body to obtain the energy it needs to get you through the day.

Basmati Has a Lower G.I.

Glycaemic Index or G.I. is a number used to measure the way certain foods release glucose into the blood stream. Foods with a low G.I. release glucose into the blood at a slower rate, and prevent against sudden spikes in blood sugar level after eating. Basmati has a much lower G.I. of around 52, making it a low glycaemic food, whereas white bread has a much higher G.I. of around 72 and as such, is better for those who suffer from type 2 diabetes and those who simply wish to avoid feeling too lethargic after their meals.

No Gluten

Gluten is a protein found in wheat and for people who suffer from coeliac disease, it can have several adverse health effects including bloating, irritable bowel syndrome and abdominal pain. The fact that wheat is one of the main components of bread, means that it is a no go food for people that suffer from coeliac disease, whereas basmati is completely gluten free. Basmati allows those whose bodies may have difficulty processing wheat to enjoy a filling carbohydrate based meal, without suffering the side effects that come with wheat consumption.

It’s More Versatile

Basmati Rice is an incredibly versatile ingredient and with some light seasoning can be incorporated as the key component in a huge variety of healthy meals such as jewelled Persian rice, vegetable pilaf and Vietnamese prawn and rice cucumber salad. While bread is also a staple that can be eaten with several meals, it most usually requires a spreading high in saturated fats, such as butter or jam, making it less healthy in the long run than a serving of basmati rice.

[basmatirice]

The History of Hyderabadi Biryani

Hyderabadi Biryani is one of the most celebrated and popular biryani dishes and one of my personal favourites.For those unaccustomed with Indian cuisine, biryani is a one-pot dish in which rice is seasoned with a variety of aromatic spices and mixed with meat, fish or vegetables. In traditional biryani preparation the rice is mixed in a dish with precooked meat and vegetables and then baked in an oven.

As the name suggests, Hyderabadi Biryani hails from the historic state of Hyderabad, located in the south-central region of the Indian subcontinent. For centuries, Hyderabadi cuisine was renowned throughout the subcontinent for its exuberance and innovation and the biryani dishes that sprang from the region were no exception. Hyderabadi cuisine emphasises the use of ingredients that are meticulously selected, and stresses the importance of preparing the dishes at the right temperature and for certain amounts of time. Hyderabadi dishes are known for being incredibly full in flavour and Hyderabadi chefs pride themselves on their use and knowledge of a wide variety of rich and aromatic spices.

Like many biryani dishes, the Hyderabadi variants trace their origins to the Mughal Empire and have strong influences from Persian cuisine. The Mughal Empire was a large Persinate Empire that ruled over much of the Indian subcontinent from the 14th Century to the mid-19th Century. It is thought that the biriyani was first brought to Hyderabad during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. The Mughals appointed “Nizams” to act as viceroys over Hyderabad, and when Mughal control of the region collapsed in 1724 the Nizams ruled over Hyderabad as sovereign rulers. It was under the reign of the Nizams that the Hyderabadi biryani was truly born and refined to the world class delicacy we know today. The Nizams of Hyderabad were well known for being patrons of art, literature and culture, but were especially known for their love of fine food. The Nizams frequently threw spectacular banquets and the kitchens in their court were known for preparing and perfecting a wide variety of rich and elaborate dishes, with the Hyderbadi variations of biryani being the most prominent dishes developed during this period.

There are two main variants of Hyderabadi biryani; Kachchi Gosht Ki Biryani and Pakki Biryani. Kachchi Gosht Ki Biryani or Ghosth Dum Biryani, as it is alternatively known, is prepared by marinating succulently spiced pieces of meat and then soaking in yoghurt overnight. The meat is then mixed with long grain Basmati Rice and slowly cooked with traditional clay apparatus. With Pakki Biryani, the meat is marinated for a shorter amount of time and is then cooked with the seasoned rice in a dough-sealed vessel.