What to make with rice… Biryani and pulao

Rice is served alongside the majority of Indian and Pakistani meat and vegetable curries. However, biryani or pulao are dishes in which the meat or vegetable are incorporated into a rice dish, that will likely be served with dahl and raita, and perhaps additional curries, but is the centrepiece in itself. Biryani is the grander of the two, in which the different components of the dish are cooked separately, before being combined to finish cooking. A pulao is a simpler dish, with all components cooking together. There are many different regional variations of each, and biryani is rightly the centre of many a feast. Sometimes the plates piled high with spiced and aromatic rice and meats are even covered in fine gold leaf. Basmati, a very long fine-grained rice mainly grown in India and Pakistan, is ideal for these dishes. It keeps its shape well, and has a beautiful aromatic scent when cooked.