Biryani Curries

Biryanis (from the Persian term biriyan—to fry before cooking), of which there are more than thirty-five different styles across India, were introduced and made popular by several invaders—the Moghuls being of prime influence, having gathered the taste for them from the Persians. The Nawabs of Lucknow and the Nizams of Hyderabad popularized these layered meat-rice-nuts dishes all across India. The fancier the occasion, the more elaborate the biryani—some even included pounded silver leaves. I consider these biryanis to be meals in themselves; the only accompaniments they need are a simple yogurt-based raita (even a bowl of plain yogurt will suffice), pickles (either homemade or store-bought), and flame-toasted lentil wafers (papads).