One of the highlights of Indian culture is the tremendous variety in cuisine that you can observe in any Indian restaurant or household. There is an entire spectrum of flavours across the country, and no spice, no colour, no food item goes untouched. One of the most celebrated Indian cuisines is Mughlai and this is loved the world over.

The Origin of Mughlai Cuisine

This cuisine finds its roots in the Mughal Empire of medieval India. It is the culmination of the mixing of culinary styles across Central and South Asia and is a reminder of the glory of the Turco-Mongol Mughal Empire. It is spicy, rich and extremely aromatic. The confluence of Persian and Indian cuisines, Mughlai is a celebration of flavour and colour like no other. The era brought tandoors, keema, kebabs, and naans to the forefront. Each of these can be experienced and celebrated along with the best biryani in Melbourne at a renowned Indian restaurant.

Characteristic Flavours of Mughlai

Since the Muslims did not eat pork, and the Hindus in India did not eat beef, both these are exempt from Mughal cuisine, with the primary meats being fowl, goats, venison, and sheep. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of any Mughlai dish is the perfect use of whole and ground spices, each with a different flavour and aroma that renders every dish a unique, wonderful taste. They also use cream, butter, and milk in the rich curries which have an incredible aftertaste. Ghee, dry fruits, saffron, and dairy products are mainstays, but lighter versions have been developed recently for health-conscious folks.

The Best Mughlai Dishes

Biryani: One of the most delicious and popular dishes in the world, it consists of rice and meat blended with the most incredible mix of spices and seasonings there is. There are several variants of the famous dish, the most popular being Hyderabadi biryani. Other delicious varieties include the Kolkata and Lucknow biryanis. A good biryani is characterized by the incredible aroma and the taste of the meat that is infused into the rice during the cooking process. There are few dishes which come close. Visit any Indian restaurant to get a taste of the best biryani in Melbourne.

Haleem: Haleem is a stew-like dish made of meat, spices, lentils, wheat, barley and sometimes rice. It is slow-cooked for almost eight hours to render a paste-like consistency. It is an absolute favourite during the month of Ramadan.

Kebabs: Kebabs are grilled meat dishes infused with hot and tangy spices. They are tremendously juicy and are perfect accompaniments to full meals as well as being wonderful snacks. The popular variants are shish kebab, tikka kebab, reshmi kebab, shammi kebab and so on.

Navratan Korma: Wonderfully inclusive, Mughlai cuisine has something for the vegetarians too. It is prepared with nine different veggies, cottage cheese, and nuts.

Other famous dishes include murg musallam, a whole chicken prepared with several spices, and Pasanda and Rogan Josh, both lamb-based gravy dishes.

Some of the best desserts come from Mughlai cuisine too, like Kulfi,  a thick ice-cream like dish seasoned with pistachios and saffron, and served with faloodeh, a starch-based noodle, Sheer Korma, a vermicelli pudding with sugar, dates, milk, and various dry fruits, and firni, a wonderful rice pudding. Visit the top Indian restaurant in Melbourne to enjoy the best biryani for gastronomic delight.