[Shehwar]

Originally Posted by Sohel NR
with pleasure. hajir biryani is actually a tehari, not a biriyani as it is not seasoned with saffron, the spice that defines biriyani as biriyani. it is also cooked with beef, not the traditional mutton used for biriyani.

hajir biriyani is a slowly cooked rice and beef dish akin to some of the persian polo dishes and italian risottos. small grain kataribhogh rice, choice cubes of beef shortrib and sirloin are delicately seasoned and cooked together with first pressed mustard oil, and served on dried jackfruit leaves with a side of fresh green chilies - they can serve it on a plate also. the excruciatingly long steaming process under a gamch'ha - a versatile garment made of natural cotton - allows the flavors mingle together until the meat reaches that indescribable, perfect tenderness. it HAS to be eaten steaming hot in the restaurant for the whole experience.

the family that owns the restaurant continues follow the tradition of not cooking more than 2 cauldrons per day, and the food usually runs out in less than 90 minutes early in the morning, and less than 45 minutes early in the evening. in typical dhakaiya fashion with regards to all things sacred, they don't care about the commercial growth of this particular enterprise. the restaurant has no signs or menus, and has never advertised in its 50 plus year old history, ever since the original haji sahib (hence the name) came back from makkah, and served up the first pot after the maghrib prayers. some say that a taste of mansaf, the traditional bedouin fare, influenced his methods somewhat. hajir biriyani costs less than a euro and no one has EVER gotten sick from eating a plate. the subtlties associated with savoring the simplicity of hajir biriyani separate the men from the boys in old dhaka.

Dude! I so wish I was in Dhaka now....I used to go there every friday morning all the way from Dhaka Cantt.....Unforgettable memories and taste!