Today’s recipe is a guest post for Chef Dennis. For foodie bloggers, Chef Dennis does not require an introduction. He is well known in the food blogsphere but for those of you who do not know him, he is an Executive Chef, Culinary Instructor, Recipe Developer and an Award Winning Food Blogger and Photographer. He is also the founder of the G+ Food Blogging Community, the biggest foodie community in G+. If you’ve never visited his blog, be sure to hoover over to not only to find out mouthwatering recipes but also very informative topics related to blogging and photography. There’s a ton to learn from him and he always shares his knowledge gladly. Being a guest blogger on his space is an honor.
Being welcoming and extremely hospitable is a hallmark of Bangladeshi culture. Visitors and friends are always welcome to drop in, sometimes even unannounced. Open doors, sheer hospitality, and friendly disposition are an integral part of the society. Add tons of mouthwatering food shared by the guests and host with chic-chat, laughter, love, and you have a complete picture of sociable Bangladeshis.
Naturally, I am very passionate about highlighting Bangladeshi cooking. When I started to think about my guest post on Chef Dennis’s blog, Kachchi biryani appeared to be the perfect dish to share with all of you, as I would have prepared if I were to welcome each of you in a large group to my home over dinner. Kachchi biryani is usually a featured dish for weddings and social gatherings and celebrations. Layers of meat, rice and potatoes are infused with warm and delectable blends of aromatic spices to prepare kachchi biryani. Whether it is a tender piece of mutton, potato, alubokhara(prune) or the rice itself, each spoonful is a mouthwatering surprise. I find this grand biryani to have lesser prep time because all the ingredients are put in layers and then in the oven instead of cooking the rice and meat separately and then combining (leaving me with less pots to clean afterwards also).
The term “kachchi” means raw referring to the biryani ingredients being combined raw in layers instead of first cooking the meat or rice separately. Traditionally, kachchi biryani is cooked in clay oven and the cooking pot is usually sealed with flour dough to allow the biryani to cook in its own steam. The sealed pot is not opened until the biryani is ready to be served. Several years ago when I was just starting as a novice cook, I was told many a times that kachchi biryani cannot be made in conventional oven or it wouldn’t taste as good. However, over the years, through trial and error, I have pretty much perfected the preparation. First time, I kept the biryani in the oven for 3.5 hours worrying about undercooked meat. Now I turn off the oven after 1.5 hours. Also, in my never ending quest to find an easier way, my spin to the recipe is to skip the sealing process with dough and instead just use a lid that perfectly fits the cooking pot; saves time and no sticky fingers and a lot less messy kitchen. The result is still a flavorful, divine kachchi biryani.
Cooking kachchi biryani is a labor of love and each time it is perfectly paid off when family and friends gather around the table to bond, enjoy and laugh together while savoring delicious, mouthwatering Biryani. It is a perfect celebration food for small family get-together as well as large gatherings.
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