There is one thing about Indians; they don’t leave anything exclusive to fancy restaurants. A burger finds its humble version as aaloo tikki between buns on roadside tavas. Hot pizzas too come out of household ovens at street shops.

Foodies may not prefer Indianised versions of these items, but they know what tastes best when picked up from local shops. Biryani is one such dish. It won’t be wrong to say that we get best biryani from some humble corners across Delhi streets.
Many people hunt for new joints to sample a different variety and taste every time. It is just not a mix of best basmati rice with choice of meat and spices, its much more than that. And a lot depends on how one prepares it.
Rajwant Rawat, professional photographer, travels all the way from Uttam Nagar in West Delhi to Old Delhi to sample succulent biryani at Star Chicken, a small kiosk that comes on the right once you get down from Ranjit Singh flyover near Zakir Hussain College. Rajwant can’t describe in words what he likes about the taste but Wasim, the cook at Star Chicken says taste lies in preparation. “We have our own technique to make biryani. We boil rice separately with spices like clove, cardamoms and cinnamon, and marinate the chicken in extra spices that makes it really hot. Later, we mix the two before giving it a dum. The USP of our biryani is its spices. Customers prefer extra masaledaar biryani and often complain if they find it low on spice,” says Wasim, who takes two hours to prepare one pot (handi) of biryani. “We start selling at noon and biryani gets over by 3 pm,” says he.
Thought a resident of Walled City, Imran Afzal, businessman, does not like eating biryani at Karim, the most famous eatery at Jama Masjid. “I prefer biryani at local points than going to Karim who makes really bland dish. Manpasand Chatpati Biryani Point, a small shop at Chowk Chitli Qabar, makes awesome masala biryani in chicken and mutton. He uses pickle to make it, and serves it with gravy,” says Imran. The frequented outlet in Walled City can accommodate only 4-5 people at one go and dishes out it’s chicken and mutton biryani in very plain steel dishes.
Such local corners not only spoil foodies with variety, they also maintain the earthy flavour of the dish. Azim Rizvi, broadcast professional, often eats at Yamin Biryani Wale in Jafrabad area near Shahdara. “Their chicken or mutton pieces are very juicy, that is all right, but the way they prepare the whole dish is really earthy. Its full of oil, which does not make it dry and full of spices that actually gets you hooked. You don’t get such a taste in any restaurant or hotel,” says Azim who does not mind the unhygienic condition of the outlet. “Biryani tastes best when made in a earthy manner,” he adds.
Now, it should not be wrong to say that biryani should be eaten with your hands at local shops than sophisticated cutlery at some high-end restaurant. And we have variety of options available ranging from Ahmed’s in Connaught Place to Kallu Miya Biryani behind Delight cinema, Bhora Biryani at Matiya Mahal and Babu Khan at Matka Pir on Pragati Maidan road.

Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani
Ingredients:
½ kg rice
750 gm chicken
1 tbsp red chili powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
Onion as required
4 lemon
¼ bunch mint leaves
¼ bunch coriander leaves
4 - 6 green chili
1 tsp black pepper
3-4 (whole) cardamom
1 tsp (whole) cumin
2 tsp yellow food colour
1 cup yogurt
2 tbsp milk
½ cup oil/clarified butter

Method
Add little oil in a large pan, make rice layer then add some pieces of chicken, sprinkle coriander leaves, mint leaves and cover with remaining rice.
Fry medium size onion in oil to sprinkle on top of rice.
Marinate rest of the chicken with salt, red chili powder, black pepper, ginger garlic paste, yogurt and cumin.
Now boil rice kept in the pan and add mint leaves, green chilies, whole cardamom, salt and vinegar.
Cook rice for a while.
Preheat oil in separate pan, add chicken and cook on low flame without water.
When chicken water dries up then add coriander leaves, mint leaves and three lemons juice. Finally, dissolve yellow food color in milk and add 1 lemon juice. Drop it on rice.
Simmer for 10 minutes and serve hot.