It came wrapped in the warm aroma of spices. I inhaled the fragrance of the Dindigul biryani, and began to make deep inroads into the meat-and-rice dish that had been served at a restaurant in Coonoor.
Dingidul — known for its locks and biryani — was miles away, but the chefs in the Coonoor restaurant had mastered the recipe. Cooked with succulent pieces of chicken and fragrant jeera rice, and tempered with whole spices, the dish reinforced my faith in south Indian biryanis.
For years, biryani in Delhi meant an Awadhi or the Dilli version of the dish. Then Andhra Bhavan introduced us to the Hyderabadi biryani, and we could not have enough of it. There was a time when our Sunday lunch meant a plate of Hyderabadi biryani, hot and spicy, and adorned with a boiled egg.
