Haji biryani | |
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Restaurant information | |
Established | 1939 |
Owner(s) | Haji Mohammad Shahed |
Previous owner(s) | Haji Mohammad Hossain, Haji Mohammad Golam Hossain |
Food type | Chevon (goat's meat) biryani |
Street address | 70 Kazi Alauddin Road, Nazira Bazar |
City | Dhaka |
Country | Bangladesh |
Seating capacity | 50 |
Other locations | Motijheel |
Haji biryani (also known as Hajir biryani) is one of the oldest restaurants in the heart of Old Dhaka, Bangladesh, selling chevon biryani (dish made with highly seasoned rice and goat's meat). The restaurant also sells borhani (a salted mint drink made of yogurt) and soft drinks. In 1939, the restaurant was started as a roadside food corner by a person named Haji Mohammad Hossain. Later on, the business took dramatic change and became part of the culture of Dhaka city. [1]
The business was started on 1939 by a cook Haji Mohammad Hossain. After Haji Mohammad Hossain died in 1992, his son, Haji Mohammad Golam Hossain took over and continued the family business without making any changes in style and tradition. By the passage of time, Haji Mohammad Golam would become tired of running the family business and finally hand over the business to his son, Haji Mohammad Shahed. [2] The dish bears resemblance to the Yemeni Haneeth.
The Haji biryani has only 1 main original branch. In Old (Puran) Dhaka, it is located at 70 Kazi Alauddin Road, Nazira Bazar.
The recipe includes highly seasoned rice, chevon, mustard oil, garlic, onion, black pepper, saffron, clove, cardamom, cinnamon, salt, lemon, doi (yogurt), peanuts, cream, raisin and small amount of cheese (either cow or buffalo). The recipe has been handed over the founder of the restaurant to his next generation. Haji Mohammad Shahed claimed that, “I have never changed anything, not even the amount of salt”. [3]
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Pashtun cuisine refers to the cuisine of the Pashtun people and is covered under both Afghan and Pakistani cuisines. It is largely based on meat dishes including mutton, beef, chicken, and fish as well as rice and some other vegetables. Accompanying these staples are dairy products, various nuts, local vegetables, and fresh and dried fruits. Peshawar, Islamabad, Kabul, Bannu, Quetta, Kandahar and Mardan are centers of Pashtun cuisine.
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The Old Dhakaites are an Indo-Aryan cultural group viewed as the original inhabitants of Dhaka's. They are referred to as simply Dhakaites or Dhakaiya. Their history dates back to the Mughal period with the migration of Bengali cultivators and North Indian merchants to the city. The Bengali cultivators came to be known as Kutti and they speak Dhakaiya Kutti, a dialect of Bengali and the North Indian merchants came to be known as Khoshbas and they speak Dhakaiya Urdu, a dialect of Urdu. There are sizeable populations in other parts of Bangladesh. They have been described as a wealthy but very closed-off community; evidently being a minority in their own hometown. It is said that some people living in Greater Dhaka are even unaware of the existence of an Urdu-speaking non-Bihari minority community although their presence dates back centuries.
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