Call Of The Hill Myna...

Biryani is said to have come all the way from Persia (modern day Iran) and evolved over the centuries. I am lucky to have been born in a house where the women folk have mastered the art of cooking the tastiest of Biryanis- the one cooked in Old Mysore region of peninsular India. Old Mysore region is the erstwhile independent Mysore Kingdom or the princely state of Mysore, that has its own distinct traditions, dialects and of course food. Here is recipe for the region's chicken Biryani as prepared by my Begum (spouse). INGREDIENTS Meat : Chicken 1 kg Rice : Basmati 1.25 kg Oil : 1.5 standard cups (apx. 350 ml) Raw Garam Masala/ Spices : Strong flavoured,     - Cloves: 10 no.     - Cinnamon- 1 stick of 2 inch length     - Cardamom: 5 no. Salt : According to taste. Onion : Medium sized, 4, sliced fine Tomatoes : Medium sized, 5, sliced fine Green chillies : Medium sized, 4 Red chilly powder : 2 tea spoons, Prefer 'Everest Thika'  brand as it gives colour to t

I recently drove with family to Calgary from where I reside up north here in Canada's Alberta province. A few enquiries led me to 'Hot Plate' in Calgary north east, the desi hub of this beautiful city. I was told that the place was owned and operated by a lady from Bengaluru. A smile and a few pleasantries exchanged in Dakkani dialect and we were off to tasting a sumptuous buffet. Dilshad Aunty moved to Canada 6 years ago and from RT Nagar, Namma Bengaluru, to join her sons and their families. Apparently on her insistence they started a restaurant and have never looked back. Today this is one of the well-known restaurants of Calgary, the largest city of Alberta. Coming to food, I usually ask the restaurant manager or the reception to help me taste their best dish/es. Dilshad Aunty asked us to get started with the buffet and said she would also serve us with other dishes in the kitchen. She exceeded what she had promised. Among the items '

Bade ka sukka is a traditional south Indian beef dish from the Old Mysore region Bade ka sukka or 'Dry beef' is a traditional Muslim beef dish of Old Mysore region*. It may surprise you that not all Muslims eat beef in Karnataka (or at least not all did when I was a kid in 1980s). I came from one such family. Beef was a rarity in my father's family in Tumakuru and his mom never touched it. Beef was considered a poor man's protein (being cheaper than fish, mutton and chicken) and people usually didn't like to be seen at a butcher shop selling beef (a shameful act that has thankfully changed today). My mom's family was opposite. They were from Bengaluru and were voracious beef eaters. My nani (maternal grand mom) and her daughters cooked some of the tastiest beef dishes. As some one who loved good food, I would relish every visit to my mom's family in Frazer Town. And each time I returned to Tumakuru, I craved for some beef. As teenagers we cousins woul