Hajir Biriani

[P.Warner]

Please kindly describe 'HAGIR BIRIANI'. It seems delicious.

[Kabir]

Originally Posted by P.Warner
Please kindly describe 'HAGIR BIRIANI'. It seems delicious.

It's just Biryani, made by a hugely popular chef named "Haji" if I'm not wrong. I don't think Haji is still alive, but his recipe has been picked up by the successors of his store.

There's another one called "Fakruddin's Biryani", which used to be hugely popular in Dhaka. After Fakruddin died, the quality of his biryani lost its touch, and I don't think it's that famous anymore.

There're many more of these actually. Old town has a few of these names, that everyone in the town will know. Old town means Old Dhaka, by the way.

[Sohel]

Originally Posted by P.Warner
Please kindly describe 'HAGIR BIRIANI'. It seems delicious.

with pleasure. hajir biryani is actually a tehari, not a biriyani as it is not seasoned with saffron, the spice that defines biriyani as biriyani. it is also cooked with beef, not the traditional mutton used for biriyani.

hajir biriyani is a slowly cooked rice and beef dish akin to some of the persian polo dishes and italian risottos. small grain kataribhogh rice, choice cubes of beef shortrib and sirloin are delicately seasoned and cooked together with first pressed mustard oil, and served on dried jackfruit leaves with a side of fresh green chilies - they can serve it on a plate also. the excruciatingly long steaming process under a gamch'ha - a versatile garment made of natural cotton - allows the flavors mingle together until the meat reaches that indescribable, perfect tenderness. it HAS to be eaten steaming hot in the restaurant for the whole experience.

the family that owns the restaurant continues follow the tradition of not cooking more than 2 cauldrons per day, and the food usually runs out in less than 90 minutes early in the morning, and less than 45 minutes early in the evening. in typical dhakaiya fashion with regards to all things sacred, they don't care about the commercial growth of this particular enterprise. the restaurant has no signs or menus, and has never advertised in its 50 plus year old history, ever since the original haji sahib (hence the name) came back from makkah, and served up the first pot after the maghrib prayers. some say that a taste of mansaf, the traditional bedouin fare, influenced his methods somewhat. hajir biriyani costs less than a euro and no one has EVER gotten sick from eating a plate. the subtlties associated with savoring the simplicity of hajir biriyani separate the men from the boys in old dhaka.

[Shehwar]

Originally Posted by Sohel NR
with pleasure. hajir biryani is actually a tehari, not a biriyani as it is not seasoned with saffron, the spice that defines biriyani as biriyani. it is also cooked with beef, not the traditional mutton used for biriyani.

hajir biriyani is a slowly cooked rice and beef dish akin to some of the persian polo dishes and italian risottos. small grain kataribhogh rice, choice cubes of beef shortrib and sirloin are delicately seasoned and cooked together with first pressed mustard oil, and served on dried jackfruit leaves with a side of fresh green chilies - they can serve it on a plate also. the excruciatingly long steaming process under a gamch'ha - a versatile garment made of natural cotton - allows the flavors mingle together until the meat reaches that indescribable, perfect tenderness. it HAS to be eaten steaming hot in the restaurant for the whole experience.

the family that owns the restaurant continues follow the tradition of not cooking more than 2 cauldrons per day, and the food usually runs out in less than 90 minutes early in the morning, and less than 45 minutes early in the evening. in typical dhakaiya fashion with regards to all things sacred, they don't care about the commercial growth of this particular enterprise. the restaurant has no signs or menus, and has never advertised in its 50 plus year old history, ever since the original haji sahib (hence the name) came back from makkah, and served up the first pot after the maghrib prayers. some say that a taste of mansaf, the traditional bedouin fare, influenced his methods somewhat. hajir biriyani costs less than a euro and no one has EVER gotten sick from eating a plate. the subtlties associated with savoring the simplicity of hajir biriyani separate the men from the boys in old dhaka.

Dude! I so wish I was in Dhaka now....I used to go there every friday morning all the way from Dhaka Cantt.....Unforgettable memories and taste!

[sandpiper]

ishhhh.... kotodin khai na

[damalChele]

Originally Posted by Sohel NR
with pleasure. hajir biryani is actually a tehari, not a biriyani as it is not seasoned with saffron, the spice that defines biriyani as biriyani. it is also cooked with beef, not the traditional mutton used for biriyani.

hajir biriyani is a slowly cooked rice and beef dish akin to some of the persian polo dishes and italian risottos. small grain kataribhogh rice, choice cubes of beef shortrib and sirloin are delicately seasoned and cooked together with first pressed mustard oil, and served on dried jackfruit leaves with a side of fresh green chilies - they can serve it on a plate also. the excruciatingly long steaming process under a gamch'ha - a versatile garment made of natural cotton - allows the flavors mingle together until the meat reaches that indescribable, perfect tenderness. it HAS to be eaten steaming hot in the restaurant for the whole experience.

the family that owns the restaurant continues follow the tradition of not cooking more than 2 cauldrons per day, and the food usually runs out in less than 90 minutes early in the morning, and less than 45 minutes early in the evening. in typical dhakaiya fashion with regards to all things sacred, they don't care about the commercial growth of this particular enterprise. the restaurant has no signs or menus, and has never advertised in its 50 plus year old history, ever since the original haji sahib (hence the name) came back from makkah, and served up the first pot after the maghrib prayers. some say that a taste of mansaf, the traditional bedouin fare, influenced his methods somewhat. hajir biriyani costs less than a euro and no one has EVER gotten sick from eating a plate. the subtlties associated with savoring the simplicity of hajir biriyani separate the men from the boys in old dhaka.

My mouth was well wet reading your post sohel bhai Do they do take away??

[Nasif]

Originally Posted by Sohel NR
and sirloin are delicately seasoned and cooked together with first pressed mustard oil, and served on dried jackfruit leaves with a side of fresh green chilies -

Excellent description... mouth watering indeed. Please add it to Wikipedia.

On a side note, didn't know it was served on jackfruit leaves. Jackfruit leaves seems too small to serve anything on it

[ialbd]

Originally Posted by Nasif
On a side note, didn't know it was served on jackfruit leaves. Jackfruit leaves seems too small to serve anything on it

mone hoy kolapata distort hoye kathal pata hoye gese. Indeed kathal pata is too small to serve food on it....

[Kana-Baba]

Originally Posted by Sohel NR
with pleasure. hajir biryani is actually a tehari, not a biriyani as it is not seasoned with saffron, the spice that defines biriyani as biriyani. it is also cooked with beef, not the traditional mutton used for biriyani.

hajir biriyani is a slowly cooked rice and beef dish akin to some of the persian polo dishes and italian risottos. small grain kataribhogh rice, choice cubes of beef shortrib and sirloin are delicately seasoned and cooked together with first pressed mustard oil, and served on dried jackfruit leaves with a side of fresh green chilies - they can serve it on a plate also. the excruciatingly long steaming process under a gamch'ha - a versatile garment made of natural cotton - allows the flavors mingle together until the meat reaches that indescribable, perfect tenderness. it HAS to be eaten steaming hot in the restaurant for the whole experience.

the family that owns the restaurant continues follow the tradition of not cooking more than 2 cauldrons per day, and the food usually runs out in less than 90 minutes early in the morning, and less than 45 minutes early in the evening. in typical dhakaiya fashion with regards to all things sacred, they don't care about the commercial growth of this particular enterprise. the restaurant has no signs or menus, and has never advertised in its 50 plus year old history, ever since the original haji sahib (hence the name) came back from makkah, and served up the first pot after the maghrib prayers. some say that a taste of mansaf, the traditional bedouin fare, influenced his methods somewhat. hajir biriyani costs less than a euro and no one has EVER gotten sick from eating a plate. the subtlties associated with savoring the simplicity of hajir biriyani separate the men from the boys in old dhaka.

classic description, reminds me old days........ Thank you bhaiya

[Zunaid]

This deserves its own thread.

During my college (NDC) days, some of us would head up there early in the morning just as it was opening (6 am ish) for breakfast.

If there were not free chairs, you just stood behind an occupied chair (or even put your hands on it) to reserve it for you.

[Sohel]

Originally Posted by Zunaid
This deserves its own thread.

During my college (NDC) days, some of us would head up there early in the morning just as it was opening (6 am ish) for breakfast.

If there were not free chairs, you just stood behind an occupied chair (or even put your hands on it) to reserve it for you.

it still opens at 6 during the "early light" season and starts to serve from 6:30 or 6:45. my cousins and i still stay up all night to get the very top serving of the stuff first thing in the morning. the top layer has all the flavor left behind by the oil that settles in the bottom by the time the gamch'ha is removed. a lot of RAB men in the mornings of late.

[gatekeeper]

Originally Posted by Zunaid
This deserves its own thread.

During my college (NDC) days, some of us would head up there early in the morning just as it was opening (6 am ish) for breakfast.

If there were not free chairs, you just stood behind an occupied chair (or even put your hands on it) to reserve it for you.

Yes, I remember those days. Tauhid, Badrul, Shimul and Asif-partners in crime. I think those 2 years in NDC will always stay with me. And off course-Hajir Biriyani.

They make a version of it at Sagar Restaurant in New Yotk. Its good but its not the real thing.

[Ahmed_B]

Unfortunately.. after the death of the original Haji, this biriyani has lost a touch. But Mr. P.Warner... tel me first: Have you actually tasted any high quality 'Biriyani' yet?

If you havn't ... please try out. You won't regret!

[P.Warner]

Originally Posted by Ahmed_B
Unfortunately.. after the death of the original Haji, this biriyani has lost a touch. But Mr. P.Warner... tel me first: Have you actually tasted any high quality 'Biriyani' yet?

If you havn't ... please try out. You won't regret!

Regretfully, I am yet to taste high quality biriani in restaurants, although from what I have tasted it makes me feel there is so much more to it. A good friend's wife served a biriayi dish many years ago. She was part Iranian part Indian. Unfortunately, I have never been close to a rice dish that good since then. It appears that I misspelt the original Hajir Biriyani as well!

Thank you for your kind descriptions. Sohel mentioned something called 'Tehari'. Is this related to biriyani?

One last point, the Italian rissotto is slow cooked but nowhere near as the time you seem to be implying for authentic biriyani. A good rissotto would take anything from 25-45 minutes depending on ingidients.

[Sohel]

Originally Posted by P.Warner
... One last point, the Italian rissotto is slow cooked but nowhere near as the time you seem to be implying for authentic biriyani. A good rissotto would take anything from 25-45 minutes depending on ingidients ... [/B]

i was talking about the vaguely al dente texture of the cooked rice, not anything else with the risotto or the polo analogy.

[Rabz]

Very good description Sohel NR.
btw, congrats on becoming a cricket legend.
I guess u r one of the fastest, if not THE fastest to do so.
keep up the good work.

[Kabir]

Haha, nice. Not very often we see threads being made out of some posts. Great stuff!

[SS]

And now even they sell 'Hajir Biriyani' in Sagar.

[khalifa]

SohelNR, kudos to your description...oh man, it almost brought my taste-buds into action. That is by far the best written description of this fabled dish I've come accross to.
Have any of you seen the ad being aired on NTV...that a NY rest. now serving it? I wonder if it's anywhere near to the original thing...NYers out there, would you comment?

[Ehsan]

Unfortunately I never had Hajir Biryani. Someday I shall Inshallah.

[Kabir]

Originally Posted by Ehsan
Unfortunately I never had Hajir Biryani. Someday I shall Inshallah.

Me and you are the same kind of losers I guess.

Never had the opportunity to try it

[ammark]

Originally Posted by Kabir
Me and you are the same kind of losers I guess.

Never had the opportunity to try it

Unlike you two, I did have it once when a dulabhai made the effort of going early morning to buy it for us back in class 9. I distinctly remember the pata-wrapped tehari and the shorshar tel.

Now that Sohel Bhai has written about it, and given that I havent eaten all day... I'm SERIOUSLY upset at how much I'm missing out on good ol' deshi food

[Nafis_BD]

Originally Posted by Kabir
Me and you are the same kind of losers I guess.

Never had the opportunity to try it

I am joining this group although I had Fakhruddin's biriyani and those tehari's from ambala during ramadan so does those count?

[Sohel]

Originally Posted by Nafis_BD
I am joining this group although I had Fakhruddin's biriyani and those tehari's from ambala during ramadan so does those count?

fakhruddin's a perfect example of what happens to quality and consistency of a sacred thing once you go for the money in bangladesh. to be fair to the late entrepreneur and his sons, the old taste does occasionally resurrect in some of the wedding feasts.

sacred things should stick to their roots in old dhaka, the exquisite bhuna khichur'hi at the highway inn in choddhogram being the sole exception to the rule.

[Zunaid]

Neither kathal nor kola.

It is shal pata. The specialty of this tehari is the mustard oil.


Here's a picture: