It’s an acquired skill, like chopsticks. Neat if you know how.
Reminded me of an earlier article.
One I’ve yet to acquire, sandwiches and the like apart. And my chopstick use is an embarrassment - much ends up on the table, if it hasnt already gone down my shirt instead. Neat it is not. I quite like the Thai use of fork and spoon. But I think I’m happiest with what I know best - knife and fork - but I doubt I could ever get to proper grips with the complicated way most Americans seem to use them. All that picking up, putting down, changing hands - much too complicated a process.
Me too. And I find it amusing when I see people eating with the fork in the right hand, and the left thumb used to push the food onto the fork.
I do like biryani. I’m not conversant enough with regional styles to really know what I’ve had, although in the 4 or so restaurants I get it around here it’s pretty similar one to another. A work friend from Australia’s wife is of Indian decent; they had us over and her chicken biryani was also similar.
My preference is goat (mutton) biryani, mainly because other than cooking goat stews for myself, that’s the only times I get goat. The Haitian restaurants here are a bit of a hike (45+ min drive) and anyway pale in comparison from what I’m used to in South Florida.
How do they make the wonderful, fluffy rice? It seems to be very long grained, but what about the cooking technique keeps it all separate with no grains sticking to a neighbor? (I guess the same could be said of rice in Mediterranean and Persian style cooking.)
Haha
Around age 12 I spent a month helping an aunt and uncle refurb their “new” very old house. At some point his very old aunt from England came to visit, and during her first dinner there I sat next to her.
As per my usual (typical American), I cut a piece of meat with right-hand knife, left-hand fork holding it down, then switched the fork to my right hand. She rapped me across the knuckles (not hard) with the spine of her butter knife and just said, “No, like this”.
I’ve eaten that way ever since, and taught my kids the same.
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Learning anything new for me (including cooking) has been a combination of interest, practice, and intent.
I had an American roommate of Chinese origin who took us to dim sum for the first time and told the wait staff not to give us forks no matter how much we pleaded, because she was teaching us to use chopsticks that day. She was prepared for the meal to take as long as it took, but chopsticks only!
It was both frustrating and fun. I’m sure the way we ate was child-like and sloppy compared to her expertise, but she insisted that it didn’t matter as long as we could hold the chopsticks by the end of the meal and feed ourselves. It took all the embarrassment out of it for her to say that, and gave me the confidence I needed – I never looked back. Each attempt with chopsticks was a challenge to myself to do just a little better than last time, and her encouraging words were always in my mind.
Indians use spoon and fork when eating Indian food in a western setting as well, it’s much more effective for wet items and rice.
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Indeed s/he is right, and I have expressed the same. The article I linked has a nice description too.
I think food tastes different when eaten as it’s intended, whether with fingers, chopsticks, or otherwise (I mean… pizza with a fork? Yeah, it tastes like something, but not the same… and apparently it’s newsworthy too).
Re the other part, what @Rasam mentioned elsewhere bears repeating – most (Western) cultures are vocally intolerant of their food being eaten other than as they eat it – imagine the reaction to Indians eating pasta at an Italian restaurant (never mind in Italy) with their fingers, or a Sunday roast. 
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If you look up any biryani recipe, the technique is the same – the rice is par-boiled in plenty of water, then rinsed, that gets any residual starch left (after the copious pre-washing).
The rice is usually basmati (aged, extra long grain) in North Indian biryanis, but may be specialty local varieties in South Indian biryanis.
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Thanks!
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So funny you mentioned the biryani cart. A relative of a friend who was in town for a while last year kept telling us about this “amazing” biryani cart – neither my friend (also Indian, and food-loving) nor I had any clue what he was talking about (my friend works not far from there).
Welcome @medgirl!
Bombay biryani is my jam, so I find Calcutta biryani more in the vicinity of a mild pulao (and very dry), but my dad loves it.
I’m very curious about Asma Khan’s version - need to convince someone who knows what biryani is supposed to taste like to go try it!
Word. (Even in India, homemade is a different and special category.)
Agree. I don’t know if Dawat or Kitchens of India biryani kits are available in the UK yet, but they are very good, and take 75% of the time out of the process (includes the fully cooked korma base concentrate, so you just add the meat to it, boil the included rice, and layer).
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Not yet from either of the online suppliers that I use. But I’ll have a look out for them next time I’m at the Asian supermarket not far from me. The Shan one ,mentioned upthread , seems to be readily available even, somewhat surprisingly, from my normal supermarket (Sainsbury)
Shan is very good, but also very spicy (Pakistani brands are usually much spicier than Indian).
If you use it, I’d suggest using the standard powdered spices (cumin, coriander) for 75% of spicing and just a tbsp or two of Shan like you’d add garam masala, to get the flavors right.
ETA: Have you tried Anjum Anand’s line Spice Tailor? Looks like they’re on Amazon. But different than what I was referring to (cooked rice and sauce rather than spice paste).
(Looks like the kits aren’t in the US yet either.)
I make a biryani from a You Tube video that is complex and sublime. Many ingredients, some specialized. Once you have the ingredients, it’s easy to make. though it calls for grinding spices and marinating the meat overnight.
Because of this, I rarely find restaurant biryani to be satisfying anymore. Most places make it relatively plain tasting, even places that specialize in biryani.
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Has said no South Asian person who cooked biryani ever
Kudos to you
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I can’t recall seeing a restaurant menu in the UK which claims geographical provenance, other than Hydrabad. It’s always listed as that or just “biryani”. It’s not a dish I order that often but never if it’s just “biryani”.
I’ve been to India 4 times. Many homes have an extra sink built into the dining area so people can wash their hands before and after meals. Once my daughter accused me of not adjusting well … my response: I’ve been bathing using buckets of water and eating noodles with my fingers (not easy!).
That would be so weird if we were talking about the same one and where like next to each other in line on same days…lol
I got some Daawat branded EL-grain basmati at a local store and it turned out great. I made it fairly simple (butter S&P, bit of lemon juice) because I was using it as a side for skewered kebap style meats and veggies. I simmered saffron in some half-and-half to coat/flavor about 15 percent of the rice just before it was ready to go.
It turned out great - essentially the same as I’ve had it in restaurants. Many thanks!
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Hi Steve, can you post a link to the YT video?
If i want to make biryanis at home one day, would you recommend that i get one of those spice packets or go all out and make from scratch?
