In the business of biryani, a ‘master’ is a skilled cook trained to make biryani by the kilo with help from a team.
These men command much respect in their circle. In Chennai, there are 500 of them in Triplicane alone, with an estimate of 50 each in Royapuram and Periyamet, the other neighbourhoods popular for biryani in the city.
Most biryani masters of today were helpers in their younger years. These men do not have written-down recipes or measurements. Everything is by memory and observation.
What gives them the edge? What according to them is the perfect biryani? We meet three celebrated cooks from the city’s biryani hubs: Triplicane, Royapuram, and Periamet.
Reporting: Akila Kannadasan
Production: Johan Sathyadas
Video: Shiva Raj and Thamodharan Bharath
Voiceover: Yuvasree S.
