Watch: Singapore Ambassador To India Cooks Biryani For The First Time

Biryani is one of the most popular dishes in the Indian subcontinent. The dish is made by layering rice and some type of meat or vegetables over each other and cooking this on low heat in a covered utensil. Traditionally Biryani is cooked in special handis whose lid is sealed with dough to create pressure. With modernization, people also use pressure cookers to make biryani faster. Many states in India have their own biryani recipe, derived from local ingredients. To mark World Biryani Day, Singapore’s High Commissioner to India, Simon Wong, cooked this special dish for the first time.

In an X post, he shared photos of the dish and a video in which he is seen taking the lid off the steaming biryani handi. He then gives the dish a good mix so that the rice and meat layers mix well. He captioned this post, “Namaste India! Happy World Biryani Day! My first attempt at making biryani. Tell me which State has the best biryani and I will make a visit. Bon appetite.- HC Wong.”

People soon flooded the comments with their biryani recommendations. An X user suggested, “Kerala Malabar Biriyani, especially the one from the legendary Paragon Restaurant, which has been ranked the 11th among the 150 most legendary restaurants in the world, with biryani being its iconic dish.”

Another person wrote, “Definitely Kolkata’s biryani beats all other biryanis in India. Please try to visit Manzilat, Arsalan, Siraj at Kolkata and Dada Boudi at Barrackpore! After having this, I hope sir your taste buds will praise the recipes.”

Someone suggested, “1. Mutton Pulao or Pilao – Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. 2. Chicken Biryani – Purani Delhi. 3. Andhra Biryani – Hyderabad, Telangana.”

An X user remarked, “Biryani is the finest! Every state has the finest biryani recipe, you can experience these recipes at home with Daawat Biryani Kits. Thank you Mr Wong for celebrating the special occasion with us.”

The origins of biryani are surrounded by various tales. Two popular theories suggest that the dish either arrived in India from Persia with the Mughal Empire or was brought to the subcontinent by Arab travelers who docked in South India. Biryani is often enjoyed with side dishes such as raita, mirchi ka salan, boiled eggs, or an array of chutneys. While most biryani recipes are non-vegetarian, there are vegetarian versions like aloo biryani