Potato invasion: After a century, Kolkata defeats Awadh in biryani battle

Kolkata: The humble potato has forced a venerated name in

Mughlai cuisine

to swallow its regal pride. The resistance of ‘Royal Indian’ — which serves

Awadhi cuisine

— to serve potatoes with its

biryani

has melted in the face of persistent customers. Its Syed Amir Ali Avenue outlet has now started to serve the popular

Calcutta Biryani

.

“We have introduced Calcutta Biryani on trial basis at the Syed Amir Ali Avenue outlet. There were customers — mostly Bengalis — inquiring why the potato was missing in the biryani. We tried to explain that we served the Lucknow variety as opposed to the Calcutta Biryani that came with a potato. Since the demand persisted, we reluctantly decided to serve it. But it is not there on our menu card yet. Awadhi Biryani remains our signature dish,” said Md Saad, who runs the family-owned business at the Syed Amir Ali Avenue outlet.

It was Saad’s great great grandfather Ahmed Hussain, a migrant from Lucknow, who started Royal Indian Hotel in Chitpore in 1906. The business has since been handed down the generations, to Mahboob Ali, followed by Mansoor and Maqsood Ali, then Md Irfan and Md Afzal, and now Md Saad.

Saad’s uncle Md Irfan, who holds fort at Chitpur, was determined to keep the 111-year-old flagship restaurant untarnished by the tuber. “We are famous because of a biryani that is rich in spices and kofti or meat balls, in addition to the chunky slab of meat. We will not change,” he insisted.

But unlike Chitpur where Royal Indian Hotel does not have any competition, the outlet at Syed Amir Ali Avenue landed amidst Biryani brands that had established themselves in the last 20-40 years.

“People in south Kolkata have grown up on Calcutta Biryani served by Golden Shiraz, Rahmania, Zeeshan and Arsalan. With their palate attuned to the biryani that is milder on spices and has a hint of sweetness from the potato, it is difficult to make the switch to Royal’s biryani,” said the owner of a rival biryani joint up the street. Another central Kolkata brand, New Aliah Hotel, has arrived on Syed Amir Ali Avenue, making the competition more intense.

While the Royal Indian outlet on the street has had a steady flow of customers from south Kolkata who used to frequent its Chitpur outlet and love the Awadhi biryani, one of the reasons why some who initially visited it for the novelty did not return was due to the missing potato.

“I have always had biryani with a potato in it. Minus the potato, the biryani tastes different. It is also difficult to have so much rice with just a portion of meat. One has to then order a side dish,” reasoned Raunak Roychowdhury who visited the restaurant a few months ago. After that, he had whetted his biryani appetite elsewhere till a friend convinced him to go back on Tuesday to taste Royal’s Calcutta Biryani.