KARACHI: The biryani is not just a rice dish, it is a part of Karachi`s rich tradition and culture. It is also a celebration of talent and taste. There are several types of biryani, around 30 of which made by women home chefs, were judged at the International Biryani Competition organised by Biz Today in collaboration with the All Pakistan Memon Federation (APMF) at the ballroom of Tabba Sports Complex on Wednesday.

Besides chicken biryani, beef biryani and mutton biryani, there was biryani with potato, biryani without potato, there was biryani with less spices, there was biryani with more spices, there was Sindhi biryani, nalli (bone marrow) biryani, chicken boneless biryani, beef deghi biryani, Bombay biryani, matka biryani, white biryani, fish biryani, qeema masoor biryani, seekh kabab biryani, tikka biryani and parda moti biryani among the many varieties put to the test.

The biryanis were judged on three basic points -flavour, presentation and creativity. As one by one the two judges, chefs Beenish and Hina Arif Siddiqui, went around the tables tasting each chef`s offering, therewas lots of interesting talk about the biryani on stage.

Keto and low carb chef Shabana Ahmedani said that cooking biryani is like a journey. `You need to enjoy making it and you need to give it the proper time to cook,` she said. `If you are in a happy mood when cooking, it will show in the biryani. And if you are in a badmood, that, too, will show up in your biryani.

She also said that cooking is the final part, the selection of meat and rice comes first. `Also you should serve condiments such as yogurt, raita, salad and pickles with your biryani,` she said, adding that the raita or pickles may also be of different types such as mango or lime pick-les, mint or coriander raita and brinjal or cucumber raita.

And lastly, she pointed out that, enjoying the biryani involves all senses such as smell and sight which draw one to the food. Touch and taste, too. Also hearing is involved, as the sound of someone else enjoying their plate of biryani would also make you want to reach for it.

The two biryanis that really stood out in the entire competition had to be the fish biryani by chef Asma Khanani and the parda moti (hidden pearls) biryani by chef Tabinda Qayyum.

Chef Khanani used Surmai or King Mackerel in her fish biryani along with potato pieces. When pointed out that potato is not common in fish biryani, she laughed and said that hailing from the Memon community, she wouldn`t have anything without `aloo`.

Chef Tabinda Qayyum had cooked biryani with meat balls (the pearls) and it was hidden inside a big crusty patty as she had wrapped the cooked biryani inside puff pastry and baked it before serving it.

Most chefs had also cooked desserts such as zarda (sweet rice), gulab jamun or kheer (rice pudding), to serve with the biryani. Some said that it was part of their presentation while others said that it was necessary in case the spices in the biryani were too much for the palette.