The modern day Biryani is an adaptation of the ancient Persian Pulao (pilaff) and this metamorphosis happened in the kitchens of the Mughals. The cooks of Emperor Akbar, were apparently very creative and their creativity helped them recreate the Persian pilaff in their Indian kitchens. Lizzie Collingham, in her book 'Curry: A Tale of Cooks & Conquerors' very beautifully recreates the story of this evolution from the pilaff to the biryani.
After reading the book, we felt that, after 400 years, the pulao was ready for another evolutionary leap- this time not for nostalgic reasons but for the reasons of good health. So not from Akbar's kitchen, but from our galley, introducing with great fanfare- Kodo Millet, Palak Pulao. (I plan to call it 'Komi Papu').
For accompaniment we had a pro-biotic carrot pickle. So how is little millet (previous post ) different from Kodo millet?
Kodo is darker in colour and has more bran. It is more nutty in flavour and can mask subtle flavours hence requires a bit of thought from the cook. Little millet is mild to neutral in flavour and can go with any flavour- great millet to experiment on.
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