Mumbai: Places around the city to enjoy biryani with a twist

East Indian prawn biryani Alefiya Jane UttanCall it a mix of traditions but an East Indian prawn biryani may be just the culinary cosmopolitanism that this season calls for With Alefiya Jane 32 a home chef based out of Uttan you get to order a prawn biryani that is at least two generations old Its a recipe that was wellexecuted by her grandmother and her mother I have a diary that has handwritten notes from my Nanna and had grown up savouring her recipes Being close to the beach we got to have fresh fish and also got other farm fresh ingredients All of these made a difference to the dishes says Jane who caters under the label The Bottle MasalaAlefiya Jane with her Food Dish Prawn Biryani PicsSameer MarkandeAmong these is the prawn biryani a specialty that uses coconut milk to tenderise and flavour the meat rather than curd Jane uses a green masala made of pudina coriander and green chilies primarily for the biryani My Nannas recipe uses tamarind too which changes the colour of the masala I substitute it with lemon so that the greenness of the masala is retained she saysBecause prawns are cooked easily and effortlessly this biryani vouches the home chef is the easiest one to prepare The coconut milk balances the piquant tones of the gravy creating an overall khattameetha flavour for the biryani To make sure that the quintessential spirit of a biryani is still there Jane has her own batch of ground spices that she additionally adds to the dish Whats more the biryani is cooked on dhum in an earthen pot Its the goodness of the sea and the earthiness of the coast all rolled in one hereCost Rs 1200kgOrder One day in advanceCall 9819497112Caters to Across MumbaiPro tip As the prawns will cook on dhum later make sure they are not overdone when frying them initiallyCocktail biryani Chattriwala caterers BandraRunning the show since 1986 after doing a course in Hotel Management and food technology and a short stint in Saudi Arabia Manaf Chatriwala is the goto guy in Bandra for biryani and other Mughlai and Bohri delicaciesCaterers Manaf Chatriwala with Biryani PicPradeep DhivarThe menu has been pretty consistent for years now with many fried and barbeque items as well as the whole cooked bakra on the list Everyone wants to try the triedandtested says ChattriwalaCocktail biryani an innovation of Manaf from the early 1990s has mutton chicken and kebabs in it hence the name cocktail It is not oily or pungent has very less spices and there is no haldi or red chilli powder used at all Thats why the healthconscious clients often go for this says ChatriwalaCost Rs 1400kgOrder One day in advanceCall 9820267345Caters to Across MumbaiPro tip The meat rice oil and ghee need to be of superior quality to have a topclass biryani says ChatriwalaLucknowi biryani Pacha Caterers Reay RoadAt her kitchen in Reay Road Shahin Pacha personally inspects every order that is cooked While she entered the business was run by her fatherinlaw for 25 years only six years ago she has been passionate about cooking and the business for a long time Two years before I officially took over in 2012 I used to go to the kitchen and understand the business everything from procurement of ingredients and accounting from my fatherinlaw says PachaShahin Pacha made speciality biryani PicAshish RajeThe two chefs from Lucknow who have been with the business for 20 years now have contributed immensely in terms of knowledge training and expertise Lucknowi biryani is your best buy here Its is full of flavour despite being made with less oil and spices I am making the best use of the years of experience that has been passed down from generations mdash both from my fatherinlaw and our chefs After the meat is cooked in mild spices it is layered in the vessel with rice over the meat a tawa is put under the vessel it is first covered with a newspaper then the lid is placed before it is placed on dum on charcoal embersCost Rs 900kgOrder At least four days in advanceCall 9892344565Caters To Across MumbaiPro tip The more you marinate the meat the better it cooks and absorbs flavoursKabsa biryani Anmol Caterers MazgaonAfter running a few restaurants in Bandra Kurla and Andheri areas Mustafa T Lokhandwala felt an urge to innovate within the food industry Thats why in 2003 he set up his own wholesale unit Anmol Caterers at Dockyard Road Mazgaon Over the years they have been associated with delectable biryanis Bohra thaals and exclusive catering for boat partiesMustafa T Lokhandwala PicsSneha KharabeHis two chefs Zakir Ali and Kismat Ali hail from a privileged lineage of a chef family in Uttar Pradesh and have been with him from the start Lokhandwalas willingness to customise biryani according to requirement but not compromise on the quality and taste is what got him ahead of the game Not everyone wants the same amount of salt and spice Also we use very little oil says LokhandwalaKabsa BiryaniThe specialty here is kabsa a mixed rice dish from Saudi Arabia which is traditionally made with rice and meat We make it with mutton chops other parts of a goat chicken seekh and chicken tikka as well The base rice has a semi gravy with meat This isnt a dum biryani and has a combination of all kinds of chicken and mutton pieces which makes it stand apart We introduced this in our menu because it is a combination of starters and main course and is much loved by our clients says LokhandwalaCost Rs 3000kgOrder One day in advanceCall 23263886Caters to Across MumbaiPro tip For best results cook the biryani on heated charcoalCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates