Bismillah Biryani: Our Kakis' current favourite Briyani
Mutton Dum Biryani $6
I think one of the most gratifying aspects of being a foodie is when you discover something tasty which your kakis have not tried before and when you bring them to try it, they congratulate you for having discovered "the find of the century". OK, they did not actually say "the find of the century", but maybe something close like "find of the year". Granted, Bismillah Biryani might already have been quite well known, but at least amongst our group of seasoned Kakis, they sure haven't heard about it until now.
It all happened one afternoon when I was due to meet some friends at a cafe around the Dunlop St area. I got there early so I decided to sniff out the place to see if there is anything good to eat. Then I spotted a big banner in front of Bismillah Biryani with the self proclaimation that they have the best Dum Biryani in Singapore. Now, I have heard it all before and self aggrandizement is seldom reliable. But somehow I was drawn to the stall like a sotong (squid) to a flourescent lamp.
There in the stall, another poster on the wall unabashedly proclaiming that the stall does not exist to make money but to make tasty and healthy food. Yep, sure.
Wouldn't you be skeptical? I sure was until I started speaking to restaurant owner Arif. Within the first few minutes, I was convinced that I am dealing with something special. He had me at "Our Basmati rice is half an inch long".
Arif has been running the restaurant for five years and he is the best kind of chef owner you can get. Having retired early, he claims that he really is running the business to show Singaporeans what a "Real" Biryani is all about rather than to make money. I will leave it to you to judge whether that is true, but one thing that I am convinced about is that this is one man who is rather obsessed about this one dish.
The key to a great Biryani is Basmati Rice which is arguably one of the world's most expensive rice. As such there are many attempts to use other types of rice to pass off as Basmati. You can't really blame the hawkers if they are to sell a plate of Biryani for $3. The most obvious characteristic of Basmati is its ability to elongate to at least twice its length when cooked. However, it is not just the lengthening of the rice during cooking that makes a Basmati a Basmati. The other key characteristic is an alluring fragrance when cooked. In fact, the Hindi word "Basmati" means "The fragrant one" and the rice owes its fragrance to an aromatic compound which is also found in Pandan leaves (Screwpine). There are many fake "Basmati" out there which really is a cheap long grain rice which lacks the fragrance of real Basmati. It is hard to tell unless you ar familiar with Basmati rice. Even if the sack is labelled "Basmati", it could still be fake as the following video shows.
Because Basmati is low in starch, it is light, fluffy but not sticky when cooked. So you are never going to be able to make sushi with this rice. One of the tests of a true Basmati is to drop a handful of cooked rice on the floor and it is supposed to separate like grains of sand. The low starch also means that Basmati has a low glycaemic index making it more suitable for diabetics than normal rice.
A good Basmati rice needs to be aged for 2 years in order for the rice to dry properly. When the rice is dry, it should be opaque whilest a translucent grain just means that the rice is still quite young (and still "wet"). The reason you need to age the rice properly is because a dry grain is the key to a great Dum Biryani as it would readily absorb all the flavours of the spices.
Now, in Singapore, Biryani is often call Nasi Briyani (Bri instead of Bir). Being an Indian dish, the Malay word, Nasi shouldn't even be there. But this shows how Biryani has evolved to become a Singaporean variation which incorporates the local Malay influence. So in recent years, some people have tried to differentiate their Biryani by calling it "Dum" Biryani. The word "Dum" means that the Biryani is cooked by baking the rice with the meat and spices in a large pot. According to Arif, the word "Dum" is redundant since all Biryani is supposed to be "Dum" Biryani.
The real Dum Biryani takes a lot of skill in order to get the temperature and cooking time right so that the meat is tender and the rice is not overcooked. A lot of "Dum" Biryanis actually take short cuts by cooking the rice and the curry separately and combining them together in a big pot to finish off the cooking process. Arif claims that he is the only person he knows who actually cooks the rice and the marinated meat in the pot over a charcoal fire with charcoal on top of the pot as well. This, according to him is what Dum Biryani is all about. 
Our Dum Briyani Expert
I have always said that there is only one ingredient needed for a great dish and that is "passion". It is passion that drives a man like Arif to purchase a professional spice grinder to grind his own spices and procure a whole sheep so that every pot of Biryani that he cooks contains meat from the same animal. It also takes a lot of confidence not to use any butter or ghee to flavour the rice but to depend solely on good quality spices.
I am not a Biryani expert, but I am happy to report that both Liverpool and Cactuskit who are Biryani afficianados both agree that this is the best Dum Biryani they have eaten so far. The Biryani rice has so absorbed the fragrant spices that it lingers in the mouth for quite a while. I found the mutton to be excellent. It's tender and fragrant and does not have that gamey flavour because the meat has been blanched in hot water before marination. Amazingly the rice is quite light since they don't use a lot of oil or ghee in the cooking, so you can eat a whole portion without feeling too guilty. 4.75/5
Do note that they do not douse your rice with curry here. To do that would be to do injustice to an already aromatic and flavourful rice. So if you are expecting to eat your Biryani that way, you might be dissappointed.
Conclusion
There are many more things I can tell you about Biryani, not because I am an expert, but because each time I sit down with Arif, he has so much more to tell me. So I commend this Biryani to all Biryani Buffs out there. This is one Biryani that is made with much passion and attention to detail and the only decent thing to do is to at least give it a try and tell us know what you think.
Bismillah Biryani Restaurant
50 Dunlop Street
Singapore 209379
93827937
11am to 10.30pm daily
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50 comments:
it looks good, i usually dun eat briyani but i think it is worth a try.
do they have chicken briyani ?
where is dunlop street and where is the best place to park one's wheels ? =)
how does this stake up with hamid's at geylang? I see you gave both a 4.75.
Usually when you give 4.75 you'll include a shortcoming of the dish, so what does this dish lack that which fails to attain the elusive 5.0? :)
interesting biryani...but your pics, usually very appetizing, doesn't do it for me this time...don't feel the urge to go to Dunlop to try. The mutton looks a bit dry, though the rice looks very nice.
My personal best in Singapore for mutton biryani is at Mirchi's at Esplanade. Their mutton is super tender...cut with fork (heck cut with anything...it just falls apart), albeit very fat and bursting with flavour.
http://shiokhochiak.blogspot.com/2008/09/eating-indian-mirchi-at-esplanade.html
Though, those in India, especially one restaurant somewhere in the Defence Colony in Delhi lies my best experience.
My personal go-to briyani is Alaudin's at Tekka Market (it's finally finished renovating!)
Shall go check this place out and compare.
Well PomPomPurin, perhaps it is because they did not use any ghee and I like the taste of ghee which is why I felt there is still room for that perfect Briyani.
PChong, don't just look at the photos. Go talk to liverpool and Cactuskit. We have all been there more than once already and thinking of going back.
I used to dismiss this restaurant because frankly speaking when they use an anonymous customer's testament it doesn't lend much credibility. But after seeing it on the forums I decided to give it a try, and it was pretty good. Rice was good, mutton was tender and the overall taste was not overpowering (papadam was a bit stale though zzzz...). Highly recommended.
Value wise Briyani Express in Geylang-Serai is still the king though.
Great write-up!
Have tried Bismillah Dum Briyani before and it's good.
I prefer Ali Nachia's @ the Railway Station as the meat's slightly more moist and tender.
Mughals Hyderabadi Biryani at Race Course Road is another place I frequent.
Must try their onion pekoras too if you happen to dine there.
Looks like we have a few more places to blog Cactuskit, Liverpool!
Wow looks good. Btw, a lot of basmati rice on the market is fake, not in the usual way we say fake, but it's GM. Another reason why Basmati rice is expensive is because the yield is horribly low and it's such a fragile plant to grow. So scientists modified it to grow in larger yields and be sturdier, however this led to the loss of many flavour attributes. Real traditional Basmati rice is actually rarer than we think these days, especially since most farmers in India have switched to modern seeds.
Wah, look at the rice! Every grain of them...
with your urging, I actually went to try Bismillah today.
The place was completely empty at 1230 when we arrived. The rice is certainly VERY good...long, wiry, fluffy, fragrant. Could have a bit more gravy on the meat spilling over to the rice.
The mutton was very tough, though flavourfull. Perhaps not enough fat in the cut. Perhaps the lack of ghee. But I prefer meat which is more succulent, more tender.
I have eatan at Mughals Hyderabadi Biryani, but also, the meat lacks the tenderness. The rice at Mughals is below par, IMHO.
So for me, Mirchi is still tops in Singapore.
Wow, the grains are indeed very long!... And I like the colours of the rice. :)
agree with PChong on the gravy!...hmmm interesting... the mutton I had the week before was very tender! time to pay them a visit again! My stomach rates it better than Hamid's!
Yo, did you head up to Malaysia over the long weekend? I don't know if it was the delusion of 6am but I swear it was you who knocked on our car window and told us our tire was looking flat. Anyway, thanks.
Oh hi!
Yes we headed up to Muar.
How did you manage to fix your tire?
Started posting some of the photos in our forum:
Link here
Heh, we didn't. We pulled into practically every single gas station, couldn't find an open service station. Just kept pumping air aaaall the way to malacca and then back to sg.
Nice write up Les. Brought several colleagues there and they all enjoyed the biryani a lot. A few claimed it to be their best as well. I guess it all boils down to preference. I love biryani and its a top 5 hawker dish for me in Singapore. And Bismillah's just edge the rest for me. Its quite unique as the others are all with gravy.
As for the dry mutton. I agree thats it a tad drier than what we're used to. But I like it that way in Bismillah's version. Ate there thrice in a week (to take colleagues there and for my own craving too). : )
Hey you good people, seems everyone ate their mutton at this shop Dunlop street.
Do they serve other meats. Going soon with family of 4. thks
They have chicken but the mutton is better.
Agree. The mutton is much better. Have a Marks and Spencer masala tea there to complete the meal. : )
great to know that they have chicken too. in that way, some readers (like me) who don't take mutton have an alternative.
I should try the chicken version next time. The 3 times I ate there all mutton. : )
Hello Leslie!
One thing that differentiates your blog from the other foodie blogs out there is that yours is so educational!
Really enjoyed reading this entry (along with the many others) and i cant wait to try this as soon as i have time!
Oh yes, congrats on your nomination for the nuffnang blog award! Dropped you a couple of votes. You deserve it for putting in so much effort on this site!
Send my regards to poweraunty and the gang too!
Hui Jing
Thanks so much for your comment!
Poweraunty is in Idaho eating potatoes and looking after the grandkid at the moment!
Thanks for reading and for your vote!
How do we vote Les?
Just click on the badge on the top right hand corner
just had the mutton and chicken briyani today with liverpooldarling and a friend...they love the mutton briyani!...Hamid's still no. 1 in the chicken briyani! :).
I have issued the challenge for the ultimate Biryani to Arif and he has taken it on! We shall be having lunch there soon!
Just had the mutton biryani there and it was delicious.
Have to give them props for the good service as well - they forgot to serve a papadum with my wife's biryani, but they promptly came back with a plate of 3 when they realised their mistake.
Will definitely go back again!
Nice meeting you and your wife and you lovely baby, Cherns! : )
Had the fish biryani today. $8. Big serving of fried fish. They only prepare it when they can buy fresh fish. Not bad but the number one is still the mutton.
Nice meeting you as well cactuskit! I'll be sure to say hi the next time we meet :)
Hope to see you in the forum and future makan sessions Cherns! : )
Ta pau one mutton and one chicken. Without a doubt the mutton is better but not best as it is tough. Meat stuck to bone(ribs). The 2 pcs I had were VERY bony. Dhal was passed off as dalcha and watery to boot.
IMHO the dum biryani at KTM is better.
were you there on Sunday cherns? saw a couple and a baby girl.. :)
Tried it too. Thought the rice was nice each grain on its own instead of being mashed up together like some other biryani rice elsewhere. However, the mutton was tough.
Excellent recommendation, thanks! the best biryani i have tasted to date!! finished every grain of rice as they are so good on their own, without the gravy. was surprise that at dinner time, i was only one of 4 customers. looks like they need more support.
Well it is really up to everyone to spread the word and bring our friends!
Glad you liked it Honeygal!
In defence of my mutton, I would like to say that mutton is a very misunderstood meat in Singapore. Why I use mutton and not lamb. I use mutton over lamb since it suits biryani more. Why?
Mutton is meat which is harvested from a mature sheep, so it tends to be tough, but with a more complex flavor than lamb, meat from younger sheep. Many parts of the world use mutton in their cuisine extensively; the Middle East, for example, is home to many famous mutton recipes. In other regions, consumers tend to prefer lamb, since mutton can be challenging to obtain. In the United States, for example, mutton is extremely rare, and consumers may need to track down a specialty butcher to obtain mutton.
Generally, mutton comes from a sheep which is over two years of age. The sheep may be male or female, although mutton from rams can be extremely gamy due to their hormonal balance. The meat is tougher because the animal is older, but mutton also has a more developed flavor.
Lamb, on the other hand, comes from a sheep which is less than one year old. In many countries, the bulk of the available lamb on the market is from sheep under six months of age. Because the animal is so young, lamb is extremely tender of course, and it can be prepared in a wide range of ways; lamb often tastes better rare, however, and that doesn't add any flavour to the rice in a biryani. Hence lamb doesn't do well at all in a biryani and people find people have expressed distaste for lamb in biryani since they have experienced overcooked lamb which tends to be bland, dry, and chewy. Now we don't want that. Do we?
In some countries, meat from sheep between one and two years of age is called hoggett. Because these sheep are of an intermediate age, hoggett is not as tender as lamb, but not as tough as mutton, either. Some recipes call specifically for hoggett, while other cooks may prefer it because it mixes a bit of the best of both meats.
Mutton stew or curry is a common mutton dish. Since stews and curries lend themselves well to slow cooking, mutton is an ideal meat for them. Mutton may also be roasted, although the roasting needs to be performed at a low temperature to keep the meat tender as it cooks. Many Indian dishes feature mutton, because beef is not eaten in most of India. Mutton pairs particularly well with the heavy spices used in a great deal of Indian cuisine such as biryani, and it can be roosted, slowly simmered in curries, or even fried in some dishes.
A totally soft/tender mutton is a mutilated piece of meat to me. If it is not gamy, it has nothing left to please a discerning palate.
However, I should supply a knife to go with the fork. I am guilty on that account.
You the Biryani expert. Guilty as charged.
Very informative. Thks.: )
Must go pay this place a visit soon.
BTW, great analysis on mutton-lamb. Does that mean that beef would not be as flavoursome in a briyani recipe?
ps. Finally tried Ya-Kader's dum briyani @ Tekka-not bad overall. Noticed many other briyani stalls there, one in particular stood out "The Briyani Hut", rather modern looking amidst the traditional stalls @ Tekka.
Just brought my mom to his shop to makan again. Arif said he'll share on the post his latest experiment on how he's trying to make his mutton even more tender. Mom loved the briyani. : )
This rice is hot and tasty!
If you want tender meat, can try Zam Zam restaurant at North Bridge Road. Based on the comments above, should be lamb :).
Arif, thanks for your comments. I feel the mutton should be tender...perhaps you can provide two. All the biryani I have eaten in India (Mumbai, Delhi, even Dakkar and Karachi) are very tender...my favourites actually serve mutton ribs on the bone, with the meat falling off the bone and extremely tender.
I am coming with a few friends tonight (Oct 7), and will join the ieat challenge (already signed up!).
Yes, signed up too. With the mutton tender the dish would be superb.
Sunday Times' Taste Pg 26 featured "Rice to the occasion with biryani." It mentioned that in 2004, archaeologists discovered about 170 varieties of biryani recorded by the Maharaja of Patiala. The different ways of cooking the biryani in south India, Bangladesh, Sri Lankan and Singapore were also mentioned. Some local restaurants and their style of cooking were listed. One of them, Anjappar Restaurant at 76-78 Race Course Road claimed to sell 1000 mutton biryani (South Indian style) per week. Another, Gayatri Restaurant (Hyderabadi style) located at 122 Race Course Rd, sells 100-150 on weekdays and 200 on weekends. There is also a Lucknowi style (vegetarian) offered by Pure Vegetarian Restaurant at 218 Serangoon Rd and Saravanaa Bhavan at 84 Syed Alwi Rd. Looks like it is time to visit some of those mentioned in the article.
BISMILLAH BIRIANI............
WE ARE SIMPLE PEOPLE WITH DECENT TASTE AND YOU KNOW WHAT???
THE WORLDS MOST DISGUSTING AND HORRIBLE BIRIANI.. BISMILLAH BIRIANI.... PLS DONT GET FOOLED BY THE PHOTO POSTED. ITS RUBBISH, NOT WORTH OUR MONEY. THE PLACE LOOKED DUMP WITH BAD SERVICE.
TAKE MY ADVICE EVEN IF YOU HAVE LOADS OF MONEY/NO MONEY FIND SOME OTHER BIRIANI SHOP TO SPEND IT ON.
During my NS period in 2007, my officer brought me to this restaurant for lunch. I wasn't a briyani lover and to be honest, I hate briyani the most until I tasted this dum briyani. The rice was soft ,tender and infused with spices and the flavor of the mutton and I can just eat the rice alone. The mutton was very tender and succulent. You don't have to go with curry (anyway the curry there is not nice at all). The briyani is quite spicy though. Standard not consistent also. I've spoken to the boss before. He told me that he used aged basmati rice (5years old) and fresh mutton to cook the briyani. Sometimes he will cook it but when he go back to his hometown (Parkistan) his wife will cook it.
This is the best briyani in Singapore. If you say Allaudin's briyani is good, you are absolutely wrong. When you taste bismillah's briyani, you will tell me that Allaudin's briyani is just another typical briyani.
Try to go around 12noon to 8pm for the best taste. Don't go too early as the briyani is not mature enough. If you go too late, the briyani will be very spicy.
Mmmmm, thanks for the recommendation - tastiest biryani in Singapore. Lamb melted in mouth, rice was not oily at all had a very healthy taste to it. Surprised that we were the only ones there for dinner - the place should be packed! Let's help spread the word.
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