Diya: Enjoy Halal “Hyderabadi Biryani” in Roppongi

Written by Sk. Nishat Abdullah san

Biryani is a famous food in south Asian and Arabian countries. This dish is cooked in a strange way where rice and meat is cooked together and also served together. Japanese people, who are reading this, may confuse “Biryani” with their favorite dish “Gudon”. But, these are totally different. In cooking Biryani, The meat is processed in a different way with different spices by the means of marinating for a long time and later cooked along with rice. This gives the rice the flavor of the chicken. Biryani can be cooked along with chicken, mutton or beef. The Biryani has different types and names according to its cooking technique and area of origin. For example, Lucknowy Biryani, Sindhi Biryani, Hyderabadi Biryani, Karachi Biryani etc. all of which resembles its area of origin.
“Diya” is an Indian Restaurant located in Roppongi hills serving Halal Indian menu for Muslims. This restaurant has started 10 years before and started to serve Halal food for about 5 years. The Biryani that I ate in this restaurant is called “Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani”. This dish is served in a stylish tiny container representing traditional Indian culture. The smell when the dish is brought stimulates the appetite. The taste is of course deliciously awesome. As Japanese dishes are mostly dry, I recommend the Japanese people who don’t like curries much, can taste this traditional and authentic cuisine famous all over the Eastern and Southern Asia.Though in front of the restaurant it is written that ” We serve Halal and vegetarian food”, I wanted to be sure and asked them.They said that all muttons were Halal, but some chicken were not Halal. I feel it is safe to let them know that I want to eat Halal food. The interior of the restaurant is artistic, designed in Indian style. More interesting is that, they have the sitting arrangement outside the restaurant resembling terrace where people can enjoy meal in a more festive manner. This restaurant do not serves Biryani only. There are many other Indian foods served here other than Biryani like, naan, different curries and different rice preparations. All can be served in “Halal” preparation if any Muslim customer enters in to this restaurant.
I hope this effort will satisfy the Muslims of South Asian regions who likes Indian curries much and also spread the Indian cuisines to the Muslims who are not much oriented with these foods.