Kolkata-style biryani, cooked to a 96-year-old recipe

Few dishes are as intertwined with Eid celebrations as biryani, particularly in South Asian communities. The layered rice and meat delicacy is a centrepiece of the festive table, although you’ll find a different version everywhere you go on the subcontinent. The protein changes from mutton to prawns. There are those who swap out rice with millet or other starches. And each community – and cook – has their own spice blend.

In the eastern Indian city of Kolkata, biryani must contain potatoes. Fittingly, it’s a twist popularly linked to feasts gone by. As Aminia restaurant’s Kabir Azher tells it, potatoes were added to biryani so it could feed more people. When Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, the ruler of the princely state of Avadh, was forced into exile in nearby Kolkata, his straitened means forced left his chefs to improvise.

“The potatoes not only helped stretch the dish to feed more people,” he says.

The yarn has been hotly contested by the Nawab’s great-great-granddaughter Manzilat Fatima. In a story on retailer Diaspora Co’s website, Fatima tells journalist Sugato Mukherjee that potatoes were marketed as an exotic luxury in the 19^th century – something that appealed to the Nawab’s finer sensibilities. Even in exile, he had a handsome pension.

Pride or penury, whichever version you believe, it’s impossible to ignore the potato in your Kolkata biryani. It soaks up the spices and creates a refined version of the dish.

Here, Azher is right: “Kolkata biryani focuses on a more delicate balance of subtle flavours,” he says. Its signature aromatic notes come from rose water and saffron.

He’s the fourth generation of his family to be involved with running Aminia, a Kolkata restaurant chain dating to 1929. For nearly a century since the first unpretentious outlet opened on Zakaria Street, one of the oldest roads in the City of Joy, his family has specialised in Avadhi and Mughlai food, cuisines familiar for their kebabs and creamy gravies.

“One of my fondest memories is sitting behind the cash counter at our New Market restaurant in Kolkata [as a child], pretending I was in charge,” Azher says. “That outlet opened on 15th August 1947, the day India gained independence, so it’s incredibly special. There’s always a buzz there, a sense of community. That’s what pulled me back to Aminia, even though I studied abroad.”

In January, Azher and his brother cousin Asher Ather have brought the New Market recipes to Dubai, opening a restaurant in Karama. The restaurant has a diverse clientele among the city’s different communities, and a substantial portion of its business comes from delivery platforms, including Talabat and Noon.

Another family member has opened a branch in Dubai Production City.

“Going international was always something we wanted to do,” Azher says in an interview with Friday. A finance and marketing graduate, he joined the family company just before the pandemic, spending the next few years focused on keeping everything running, as he puts it.

“Dubai has been a dream of my father’s,” Azher says.

He sees the city as a gateway to the region. “We’d like to go to Doha and Jeddah – but for now we want to focus on the UAE, perhaps even with more branches in Dubai.”

More immediately, he’s focusing on Eid Al Fitr. Over the upcoming festival, Aminia UAE will launch ‘Biryani by the Kilo’ for takeaway and delivery.

“Eid celebrations are incomplete without families coming together over a biryani feast. I came up with the concept for this menu because that’s how we celebrated Eid at my home. A large handi (like a stock pot) would be delivered, typically with 10 or 15 kilos of biryani. And we’d invite everyone to eat,” he says. “We want to bring the same spirit of togetherness from the Aminia family’s home to Dubai. Biryani by the Kilo allows customers to order in bulk at a more competitive price… [so] it’s perfect for family feasts and celebrations.”

Buying by the kilo requires ordering in advance.

Also on the menu are dishes such as murgh mussallam (a Mughlai chicken curry), raan (a whole roast leg of lamb), and special combos with additional items such as kebabs, kathi rolls (grilled meat wrapped in flatbread) and sewai, a dessert of vermicelli and dry fruit.

For those with dietary restrictions, Aminia has a few options for the gluten- and lactose-intolerant. “But Mughlai cuisine is all about indulgence: rich gravies, aromatic rice, succulent meats. So while we do have we do offer certain dishes that happen to be gluten-free or dairy-free, I’ll be honest: vegan options aren’t really our forte,” he says. “But we’re open to adapting recipes if diners want it.”

Instagram: @aminiarestaurantuae