Topic: An analysis of the Taj of Kent's lamb biryani

[Peripatetic Phil]

Khanh & I went out for a quasi-anniversary meal last night, and had a very pleasant "Super Tuesday" meal (

[Malc.]

It's hard to say without more description. What did it taste like and what was it's colour?
Sliced Almond perhaps, maybe pistachio?

[Peripatetic Phil]

It's hard to say without more description. What did it taste like and what was it's colour?
Sliced Almond perhaps, maybe pistachio?

Colour was creamy.  But remember I hate nuts, and would have spat it out if it had had even the faintest taste or texture of almond or pistachio.  Afterthought : should have kept one for Khanh to identify !

Certainly sliced almonds feature in a published recipe for Hyderabadi Biryani, so you may well be right and my innate nut-detector sense failed to kick in for once ...

[Malc.]

I can only think of either garlic or ginger but these are usually easy to identify. Other than to suggest almond, possibly having masked itself by soaking up the biryani flavour over night, I could not say.

[Peripatetic Phil]

We shall order it again, and this time I shall ask She Who Knows Everything to identify it ! 

[Malc.]

Give 'em a ring and ask.

[JerryM]

Phil,

having read through your list i was saying yes to all - and loving it - almost a cheer for each.

almond nut crushed or sliced is a must ingredient for me.

i also like dried fruit like apricot. a side of banana fritter is well worth a try

the thing for me though is that a biryani is only as good as the curry sauce to have with it.

ps my local restaurant in their special biryani even include a few whole green pea's along the lines of marrowfat. i always remark to myself on there inclusion but they do seem to work. it beats me on how they are firm like a garden pea but not sweet.

[Peripatetic Phil]

the thing for me though is that a biryani is only as good as the curry sauce to have with it.

Now that is an interesting observation, because I never (really never) eat the sauce with the biryani.  Sometimes I may have a little afterwards, but for  me the key to the biryani is that it has to be moist enough (the lamb, not the rice) for me to enjoy it just as it comes.  In the restaurant, we had stuffed kazana and Taj chingri as starters (swapped half way), tandoori mixed grill with bhindi bhaji, mushroom bhaji & naan for the entree, and the biryani as the main course; needless to say, starters + entree were almost sufficient (I'd pigged out on Madras papadom at home before setting off, so as to keep the ancillaries costs down), so we managed only 50% of the biryani between us.  I finished it up for lunch today (microwaved under clingfilm for one minute) and the only thing I added was some Chinthe lime pickle.  Wonderful !

ps my local restaurant in their special biryani even include a few whole green pea's along the lines of marrowfat. i always remark to myself on there inclusion but they do seem to work. it beats me on how they are firm like a garden pea but not sweet.

Yes, I've seen peas, and even carrots, but the finest biryani I ever saw was in the Agra Restaurant in Whitfield Street, near Warren Street tube station : it was garnished with gold and silver leaf, the only time in my life I have ever seen that done.  That would have been about 40 years ago!

** Phil.