Madras fish biryani: A historic dish loved by all in ‘Bigg Boss’ house

Legends and ancient scriptures speak of ambrosia to be prepared as an offering to the gods, made of all the five elements. In modern times, biryani is likened to it and has been adorned with all the subtleties and intensities of a variety of spices, ghee, and basmati rice infused with meat, seafood or vegetables. One of the most desired among all foods, the dish includes all the hard work and creativity of the 18th century Muslim rulers’ cooks, who carried the craft of biryani making to every corner of the country. Each biryani was transformed, added with local flavours, and thus, Chennai, a city of seafood, also has a ‘meen’ story to tell through biryani.

I realised that the making of biryani was similar to the popular reality show, Bigg Boss, which has enough spicy ingredients of human emotions, talents, acting skills and the versatility of its presenter, Kamal Haasan. The show can be termed a keen competition for the spicy Madras biryani, as it is managing to garner packed audiences every night — including famous stars like Surya and Jyothika. Having known Kamal personally and interacted with him in his troubled times, during the late 80s, I now see a mature and wise Kamal, asking and answering the right questions. One of his favourite dishes on sets those days used to be a good fish biryani. The dish is also a personal favourite of the mysterious Bigg Boss. When asked about their much-loved foods, most of the contestants on the show also chose our very own special Madras biryani.

Biryani is said to be derived from the Persian word ‘birinj’, means rice, or the word ‘beryan’, which means fried. In Tamil Nadu, besides the Madras biryani, you have the Ranipet biryani and the Dindigul curry biryani, which was painstakingly prepared for former US President Bill Clinton when he had visited India. The seeraga samba rice used in Madras biryani absorbs all the flavours of the ingredients and each grain of rice is uniformly marinated in the spices. Since the fish added to the biryani is always in more quantity than the rice, the seeraga samba soaks in the taste of the fish too.

Biryani recipes and their preparatory methods are no doubt age-old. The dish is always better slow-cooked and tastes the best over firewood. Once the rice is semi-cooked, it is transferred to dum-style — with hot coal placed on the lid of the vessel so that the heat spreads evenly. The fish inside turns melting soft, succulent, while keeping the rice grains separate and fluffy.