Briyani (also “biryani”) originated from Persia.
But over the years, several variants of briyani have been developed in places like India, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. The most well-known is dum briyani, where rice—flavoured with spices and saffron—and marinated meat are layered, then cooked in a big casserole.
Although some hawkers choose to cook the meat separately, their interpretation of briyani can just be as delectable as dum-style briyani. For this edition of Tried and Tested, we taste-tested five highly raved briyani establishments. Who will emerge as the sultan of briyani?
10 Jalan Pisang
Opening hours: Daily: 11am-2.30pm
Price: $5.50
Rating: 5/5
From the fluffy long-grained basmati rice down to the refreshing cucumber relish, Abak’s briyani was a thoughtful recipe of well-balanced flavours and textures.
To start with, the basmati had just a hint of flavour, providing a clean canvas for the intensity of the chicken rempah and dhal curry. Amazingly, the grains were not oily at all. The airy, toothsome rice had great texture and soaked up the curry beautifully.
We also loved the tender and succulent chicken leg, which was well-infused with a tasty and piquant spice marinade. The dhal curry was just as moreish. Chunky and robust with lentil, potato, carrot, and eggplant, it had a pleasant nutty fragrance, and complemented both the rice and chicken perfectly. A light and refreshing cucumber pickle rounded off this power briyani.
30 Keppel Road, Tanjong Pagar Railway Station
Opening hours: Mon-Sat: 10am-1.30pm
Price: $5.50
Rating: 4.5/5
Ali Nachia is another great briyani find. We liked how the basmati rice was infused, but not overdone, with a flowery potpourri of herbs and spices. The grains were dry and fluffy, mildly tasty and firm to the bite.
The chicken was gorgeously moist and flavourful, but the spice paste felt slightly powdery on the tongue. Also, it lacked a distinctive aroma. Same for the accompanying curry. Although it was rich and tasty with a slight tang of tamarind, the curry was missing a distinct identity. It was also quite oily.
However, the stall offers two types of cucumber pickles, which provided a good foil against the rich curry. We especially enjoyed the delightfully refreshing raita (cucumber in yogurt), but it was the tart and spicy achar that was truly addictive.
665 Buffalo Road
#01-232 Tekka Food Centre
Opening hours: Daily: 10.30am-6pm
Price: $4.00
Rating: 4/5
Although Allauddin’s doesn’t use fine basmati grains, they make up for it with fabulous flavour and aroma. We loved how the turmeric spice base perfumed the rice, infusing it with a fragrance that’s simply unforgettable. The rice is tasty and well-flavoured. However it was also rather rich with ghee.
The chicken was not cooked dum-style, but prepared separately in a warm, aromatic spice base. The meat pulled apart from the bone with gentle prodding, and was very juicy. We also liked the dhal curry for its smooth and nutty flavours.
50 Dunlop Street
Opening hours: Daily: 11am-10pm
Price: $6.00
Rating: 3.5/5
The rice here is much spicier, with pronounced flavours of spices like cloves and star anise. Although the basmati rice was very light and fluffy, we weren’t quite taken with the slightly powdery texture of the grains.
The chicken was cooked in true dum-style. The meat was fall-off-the-bone tender, and had a unique smokey flavour. However, the meat was too dry. The accompanying gravy was not a rich curry, but a watery, tangy gravy with mildly bitter overtones that went rather well with the chicken. The style here was authentic, but definitely an acquired taste.
742 North Bridge Road
Opening hours: Tue-Sat: 11am-7pm, closed PH
Price: $6.50
Rating: 2/5
Formerly known as House of Briyani, we were rather disappointed with the quality of the food under the new management. Although the stall used proper basmati, the rice was bland and the grains weren’t fluffy enough.
The chicken wasn’t cooked dum-style, which was fine except that the meat was quite dry. The spice paste was quite smooth and not too spicy, but lacked fragrance. It was the same for the dhal curry, which tasted very average, and could certainly have more flavour and aroma. The worst was the cucumber pickle. Covered in just sambal, it lacked crunch and taste.
