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Biryani

बिरयानी
bir-YAH-nee

Biryani (बिरयानी) is a Persian-origin word used in Indian English, meaning fragrant layered rice dish with meat or vegetables, slow-cooked with whole spices. In crosswords it is the 7-letter answer BIRYANI (7).

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Meaning & usage

Biryani is built on the dum technique — partially cooked rice layered with marinated meat (or vegetables) and finished sealed over low heat so the steam carries the spices through. India has dozens of regional styles: Hyderabadi kacchi (raw marinated meat goes in with the rice), Lucknowi/Awadhi (lighter, more aromatic), Kolkata (with potato and egg), Sindhi, Bombay, Thalassery. The dish probably arrived with Persianate cooks in the Mughal courts and was then reinvented in every region it touched.

In a sentence

They opened the biryani pot and the whole kitchen smelled of saffron.

Common spelling variants

  • Biriyani
  • Briyani
  • Beriyani

Biryani is the English spelling used in MG Mini puzzles.

Biryani as a crossword answer

Biryani is a 7-letter answer. A typical clue:

“Fragrant layered rice dish with meat or vegetables, slow-cooked with whole spices” (7)

Category: Food Origin: Persian Script: Hindi

Related words

  • Radhaballabi — A stuffed deep-fried bread from Bengal, often filled with spiced lentils.
  • Samosa — Deep-fried savoury pastry filled with spiced potatoes, peas or meat.
  • Dekchi — A type of cooking pot or vessel used in Indian kitchens.
  • Kosha — A Bengali style of slow-cooking food in a thick, richly reduced gravy.
  • Paneer — Fresh, unaged Indian cheese — the vegetarian protein of the north.
  • Chai — Indian tea, usually brewed strong with milk, sugar and spices.

Related crosswords

Puzzles with a theme close to Biryani.

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