Chicken Biryani from Biryani and Bites in Glendale AZ (now closed for business)

I tried Chicken Biryani at a number of places in Metro Phoenix and each one tasted completely different. According to www.CookThink.com Biryani is a popular dish that originated in Persia and is popular in India and the Middle East. Biryani is a Basmati Rice based casserole dish. Common flavors in Biryani are cloves, cinnamon, cardamon, bay leaf, coriander, mint, ginger, garlic, onions and saffron.

The Chicken Biryani pictured above came from Biryani and Bites in Glendale AZ(this location now closed for business). It consist of fluffy rice that was infused with spices, fresh mint, fresh cilantro, an egg fried and raw onions and was served with yogurt based raita condiment and a tomato condiment.

www.BiryaniandBites.com

Chicken Biryani from Zad Al Khair in Glendale AZ

At Zad Al Khair in Glendale AZ I tried Iraqi Style Biryani. The flavors that were easy to pick out were turmeric, allspice and cinnamon. The rice was studded with peas, french fries and the condiment served with it was a tomato bean soup.

www.ZadAlkhairUS.com

Chicken Dum Biryani from Daawat Indian Cuisine Phoenix AZ

The Chicken Biryani from Daawat Indian Cuisine in Phoenix AZ was the most floral and aggressive with exotic spices. Very heavy with cloves and cardamon…lots of mint…and other flavors. Here I had to pick out the cloves and cartoon pods and came across some cinnamon bark too. Not sure but I think I tasted rosewater in this one or my taste buds might be confused by the very heavy scents of potpourri in the air. (I actually saw bags of potpourri in the dining room here)  This Biryani was topped with raw onions and an egg. Came with raita and a very fragrant tomato condiment.

wwwDaawatAZ.com

Taj Mahal Scottsdale AZ – The Chicken Biryani is on the right side.

Taj Mahal serves quite a different Chicken Biryani. It’s aromatic with great exotic flavors, It packs a little heat and the sweet golden raisins and toasted almonds added the right touch of complexity. The chicken in this dish was the most moist juicy and flavorful of the biryanis. I don’t recall if this Biryani was served with condiments but it was the only one that came with tasty Naan Bread.

www.TajMahalPrescott.com …………(not in Prescott this is a second location in Scottsdale)

I got a bunch more to try….

Those were just a few of the Chicken Biryani Dishes that are out there in Metro Phoenix AZ

The Forking Truth