Ammas Hyderabadi Biryani

We started making biryani here in Dhanori 3 a while back because we just really liked the way our family used to cook it. It's not a fancy place, just a kitchen where we spend most of our mornings chopping onions and getting the rice right. People around the neighborhood usually stop by when they don't feel like cooking at home. We try to keep the spices exactly how they are supposed to be, not too much and not too little. Sometimes the shop gets a bit crowded during lunch, and it can get noisy with the traffic outside, but that’s just how it is. We don't have a big team, just a few of us who know how to handle the large handis. It takes a lot of time to let the meat cook properly with the rice, so we start early. Most days we are just tired by the end of it. The smell of the masala stays on our clothes even after we head home. We don't do much advertising or anything like that. If the food is good, people usually come back or tell their friends. It’s a simple setup near the road. We just focus on getting the food out to the tables. Some days are better than others, but we keep the stove going. If you're walking past Dhanori 3, you'll probably smell the spices before you see our sign. It's a lot of work, but it keeps us busy and pays the bills.