Kacchi Biryani — Raw Meat Under Rice Dum (کچی بریانی)

Hyderabad; kacchi biryani is associated with the Nizam's court and the waza (master chef) tradition of competitive biryani-making; the difficulty of the preparation was a test of the chef's expertise

Kacchi biryani (کچی بریانی — 'raw biryani') is the most risky and most celebrated variant of biryani: raw, marinated meat (kacchi gosht — uncooked mutton or chicken) placed at the bottom of the dum vessel and topped with par-cooked rice, then sealed and cooked in one simultaneous dum on low heat. The timing precision is the challenge — the meat must cook through completely in the same time as the rice finishes: too fast and the rice is overcooked while the meat remains raw; too slow and the meat overcooks while waiting for the rice to steam through. The calculation depends on the cut of meat, the par-cooking stage of the rice, and the exact heat level.

Served with raita (yoghurt) and salan (spiced curry for dipping). The rice in kacchi biryani is the canvas that absorbs the meat juices during dum — the lower layers of rice are the most flavoured and most prized.