City can now savour 'green' biryani

KOCHI: For those health conscious foodies who crave for tasty biryani, but avoid it most of the time owing to its fat content, here is good news for you. Kochi now has 'green biryani'.
Prepared in the model of 'dum biryani', but instead of the metal or clay pot, the hollow stem of bamboo is used. Chef Abdul Rahman Khan claims that oil content will be very low when the biryani is prepared in this manner.
"Kerala is yet to know about this kind of biryani preparation. It is similar to the model of 'puttu' preparation. After the initial cooking gets over, rice and meat are put inside the bamboo stem, sealed and then steamed. There is a hole pierced under the stem through which all the excess oil in the rice will flow outside, reducing the fat content of the biryani. The biryani is prepared in such a manner that it will also have a unique taste," says Khan who introduced the green biryani during the 'Biryani Fest' hosted at Hotel Presidency in the city.
"Bamboo cooking is primarily part of Thailand culture, but India, with its multicultural population is already aware of its usage. But Kerala is not familiar with biryani cooked in this manner or that any kind of biryani can be cooked this way. With nearly 30 years of experience, Abdul Rahman Khan claims that his green biryani is getting a good response from city residents after he introduced it here last week.