A Big “Haan” to Haan ‘D’ Biryani

Keep a plate of Biryani beside my grave and I shall rest in peace.

Anonymous

Story of my life

224 days have passed since the last time I had Biryani, before the lockdown started. Now the wait was too much to bear. With another year round the Sun being completed by me, the bigger occasion was to celebrate the first Biryani experience since lockdown started in March, 2020.

Ofcourse, when it’s Biryani, there has to be dilemma – where should I order from?
Make a homerun to get it from Arsalan or from the last one I had relished before lockdown – Kabuliwala?

Then lightning struck (so to say!) and I remembered couple of Facebook posts from my known bloggers – Alokeparna (goodfoodmemories) and Souvik (goodfoodbro), recommending this, not so old, “takeaway or delivery only” called “Haan D Biryani”. In both their reviews, two important things struck my mind – healthy and meat quality.
So it was decided then. First spoon of Biryani after lockdown will be from Haan ‘D’ Biryani, from the kitchen of Indrajit Dey Sarkar.

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HOW TO ORDER

Since this is “takeaway or delivery only”, which means you can either pick it up or get it delivered by food delivery partners like Swiggy. If you live a bit far off, not to worry, Swiggy Genie can be effectively used to deliver across the city.
Online orders can be made at: http://haandbiryani.com/online-order.html
You can also call/whatsapp at: +919874791313

I ordered the following and paid INR 1025/- for the same:
1. 2 regular Mutton Biryani
2. 1 Chicken Biryani
3. Boneless Mutton Chap

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Unboxing the meal

For a change, let’s skip the usual adjectives to describe a meal and talk about “facts”.
The biryani was delivered in tightly sealed boxes. Peel the cover out and two things struck my eyes:
1. The size of the Aloo (Potato)
2. The size of the meat – mutton and chicken
The other thing which struck my nasal senses (proving I am still going fit and fine, by God’s grace) was the light aroma of Biryani.

Safety Measures: The Covid reality is still around us, so I transferred the biryani from the containers to our bowls and discarded the containers. Before eating, a good 4-5 minutes of heating them in microwave, is the best we can do.

The first spoon of the Biryani rice drove home the USP of this place – “healthy”. None of the usual dalda related misgivings, light on taste but full on aroma. But the STAR brothers were:
– Mutton: dig with your fingers or fork, you will find the meat peeling off. Rest as they say, made history, once I ate it 😀
– Aloo of the Biryani – While I am not a “pronounced” Biryani Aloo fan, yet things like the one served, made me smile!
The Boneless Mutton Chap was the other unsung hero of the meal and I will be honest, to enjoy the meat quality of the chap and preparations, it needs to pair better with Rumali Roti.

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Feeling beyond the meal

That’s the best part, I will say, No such post-Biryani “feeling heavy”, no greases on the palms. The reason behind this, is the healthy way of using Sunflower oil for the Biryani (I had to ask Mr. Sarkar for this).
My 5 year old kid just loved the mutton biryani, to the point of over-eating.
And I don’t need to elaborate on my expression after the first spoon. 😉

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WHO IS HAAN ‘D’ BIRYANI

Now my Facebook timeline has been flooding with the excellent work of Indrajit Dey Sarkar, the one behind the kitchen of Haan ‘D’ Biryani. Placed in Rippon Street, they are already making a niche of their own and the food I ordered and paid for, was absolute value for mind and money! 😉
One thing, I must say, is about Indrajit’s intentions to get the actual customer feedback. I was so swamped with work the next day, that I forgot to message him how good the meal was. But Indrajit personally messaged and called up to know how we felt post our meal.

Excellent food along with such humility by the owner – deserves a big Haan (Yay!) from the Honumans!