BIRYANI — the real deal, travesties, and other tales

A local, south Indian grocer introduced me to jeerakasala rice for biryani. It’s a small grain, very flavourful rice that is now a family favourite.

1 Like

Jeeragasamba / jeerakasala is lovely. I haven’t encountered it much outside India, but it makes sense that a south indian store would stock it.

When I was exploring regional Indian rices last year, I discovered that there is a western variety from Gujarat called jeerasar (for the size of the grain — jeera means cumin seed).

In the east, gobindobhog is prized, but basmati is still the usual pick for biryani. In the west, ambemohar is intensely fragrant (I prefer it these days) but still basmati is used predominantly for biryanis and pulaos.

There’s a basmati industrial complex :flushed::joy:

1 Like