This year, Eid in Mumbai was a scorcher. A heat advisory was issued, reminding the people of Mumbai to stay hydrated and avoid strenuous activity. You'd think that would be enough to dissuade this chef from his culinary intention of Dum Biryani. Think again. In the urban dictionary, against the term “Sucker for punishment”, there must be a picture of Chef Dama, labeled as exhibit A.
Why would anyone want to subject themselves through this torture? To walk to the market when it's over 40 C/100 F outside to procure fresh goat meat, yogurt, long grain basmati rice and spices. A person in his right frame of mind would be snuggled in front of the air conditioner, doing Netflix and chill. Instead there I am sweat drenched in the kitchen, stoves on full blast as I fry a kilogram of sliced onions to make Birishta; the key ingredient in Biryani. Next, into the scorching hot fat go the potatoes. Sure the potato frying process could be skipped. But to miss out on that magic golden orange deliciousness that can only occur when deep fried potatoes are simmered in biryani masala? That's a travesty in itself. The task list is endless for Dum Biryani; meat marination, parboiling rice process, pastes to be ground, herbs to be chopped, dough to be made, it's enough to test the bounds of acceptable sanity.
The word 'Dum' literally means steam. The Dum process requires that not a wisp of steam should leave the pot whilst cooking. Thus the mouth of the pot is sealed with raw dough, to keep the steam and aromas trapped within. But it also means that you can’t fuss, prod, poke, check for doneness, taste for salt, tweak the flavors during the cooking process. Once the seal is set, and the pot of Biryani is on the flame, all you can do is step away. It’s in the hands of the divine super power now. Most control freak chefs experience withdrawal issues because of that.
I often ask myself why I keep going back to Dum Biryani? The chances of failure with this dish are immense. This process spans over 30 hours once you factor in procurement of ingredients, marination, prep, assembly and cook times. And yet, after all the effort and precautionary measures, the odds are still not in your favor. The Biryani end up scorched, the rice mushy, or potatoes uncooked, or the salt profile completely out of whack. So why subject ourselves to this level of torture and self inflicted hurt.
We do it because when it turns out right, the sense of pride and accomplishment is unmatched. When you crack that dough seal open, and hear the family squealing with delight as the intoxicating aroma of saffron, cardamom and garam masala waft into the atmosphere, when you the rice maintains its perfect fluffy long grain consistency, when the meat slides off the bone offering no resistance whatsoever, when the golden orange potato holds its shape perfectly but crumbles at the mere touch of your fingers (yes…fingers!!! Don't even think of eating Biryani with a fork! Sacrilegious!!!), when the hush eventually settles, and the scene is of eyes closed, of lips pursed, of chomping sound interrupted only by the occasional “Oh my GAWD!!!”, that’s when you know, it was all totally worth it.
“No pain, No gain, No guts, No glory.”
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