Eid at 2am: Inside Chennai’s midnight biryani economy

At 1.30am, Puliyanthope is wide awake. On nights similar Eid — and increasingly, good beyond it — ladles clang against aluminium pots, bikes assemblage constrictive lanes, and the aerial is scented with firewood and spices.

From Triplicane to Adambakkam, the city’s midnight kitchens provender a dependable watercourse of diners. Although a fewer cooks run circular the clock, galore others statesman work astatine midnight and proceed until the aboriginal hours of the morning.

The LPG shortage, caused by the warfare successful West Asia, has had minimal interaction here. While Midnight Bros and Basheer Bai Biryani person traditionally cooked each their biriyani connected firewood, KGN Aarifa has shifted to firewood. Hotel Bilal Biryani cooks their biryani in a cardinal room distant from the metropolis utilizing firewood portion their kebabs and tandoori are present being done connected coal.

I travel this way from Adambakkam to Puliyanthope, and from Pudupet to Triplicane, to conscionable the masters, and recognize what keeps the fires burning portion the remainder of the metropolis sleeps.

KGN Aarifa

My archetypal halt is Puliyanthope, a bustling neighbourhood awash with agleam lights, dense postulation and a changeless travel of people. Does this metropolis ever sleep, I wonderment arsenic I articulation the enactment astatine KGN Aarifa, wherever determination is simply a frenzy of enactment astir a monolithic cauldron of biryani. Customers clump astir the counters to cod parcels, portion waiters determination briskly successful and out, serving loaded plates to those seated inside.

Dhanasekar, who is simply a regular here, says, “I travel present respective times a week due to the fact that I can’t defy the delicious biryani prepared by Syed Shamsuddin and his son, Syed Moinudeen.” Shamsuddin explains that 1 of their cardinal advantages is the proviso of caller nutrient from adjacent each day. The edifice was launched by their great-grandmother 20 years agone and functions circular the clock, with highest concern betwixt 1.30am and 4.30am.

“On weekdays we merchantability astir 500 kilograms of biryani, portion connected weekends the fig goes up to astir 1,200 kilograms,” says Moinudeen. Most customers travel from wrong a four-to-five-kilometre radius, though immoderate question from arsenic acold arsenic Madurai and Bengaluru. They person periodic orders from the Gulf countries and nonstop deep-frozen biryani parcels by air.

“We specialise successful dum biryani akin to the Hyderabadi style. Our paya biryani is successful large demand, and the vadi biriyani is different favourite — the atom is partially cooked separately and past layered with a spicy chickenhearted oregon mutton gravy earlier being finished connected dum,” says Shamsuddin, a mutton wholesaler. “While the beef biryani is precise popular, our mutton biryani stands retired due to the fact that of the prime of the meat.”

I illustration a mouthful of fragrant atom with a tender portion of mutton and americium impressed by the extent of flavour — intelligibly the effect of years of cautious refinement. As I measurement out, customers proceed to determination in, and the unit gaffe into an adjacent faster bushed to support up with the rush.

KGN Aarifa Biryani is astatine Dr Ambedkar College Road, adjacent Plantop, VOC Nagar, Pulianthope, Chennai. Chicken Biryani ₹110, Mutton Biryani ₹300. For much details, telephone 8072298895.

Hotel Bilal Biryani

Triplicane has traditionally been location to communities for whom biryani forms an indispensable portion of the regular diet, and it is truthful dotted with galore outlets. My destination is Hotel Bilal Biriyani, located astatine the opening of Triplicane High Road. The edifice opens astatine 6.30pm and continues serving a dependable watercourse of customers until the aboriginal hours of the adjacent morning. The frontage is live with enactment — ample vessels enactment the entrance, kebabs sizzle connected skewers, and parottas are briskly kneaded and cooked.

Md. Irfanullah arrives, accompanied by his energetic father, Md. Amanullah. “We started this outlet six years agone during Ramzan,” says Irfanullah. “During the Ramzan play we stay unfastened until 5am, portion connected regular days we usually adjacent astir 3am.”

The outlet draws customers from acold beyond Triplicane. “We get a batch of patrons from the IT corridor on OMR and from the concern areas successful Sriperumbudur,” helium explains. “They usually pass america successful beforehand astir their requirements, and we support their orders ready, since the outlet itself does not person overmuch seating space.”

“Our speciality is biryani cooked implicit firewood. The cooking is done successful a ample room astatine different location, and vessels of freshly prepared nutrient are brought present astatine regular intervals,” says Irfanullah. He takes peculiar pridefulness successful the eatery’s paya and shawarma. A caller milestone for the household has been the motorboat of their archetypal overseas venture, Sri Lanka Bilal, successful Colombo.

To entreaty to a younger clientele from the IT sector, Irfanullah has actively embraced societal media. I illustration a spoonful of the firewood-cooked biryani. The subtle smoky flavour enriches the atom and meat, creating a sensation that feels chiseled from the much standardised, mass-produced mentation offered by galore well-known brands successful the city.

Hotel Bilal Biryani is astatine Police Station, 1, Triplicane High Road, other D1, Police Quarters, Triplicane, Chennai. Chicken biryani ₹120. For much details, telephone 9962387288.

Basheeer Bai Biriyani

It is midnight erstwhile I scope Pudupet. The usually engaged roadworthy lined with automobile spare-parts and repair shops is shuttered for the night, leaving plentifulness of abstraction for parking. In the midst of the quiescent surroundings brightly lit Basheer Bai Biriyani stands out. The frontage is humble and not peculiarly striking, but erstwhile inside, I americium greeted by a burst of activity.

Customers propulsion up connected bikes and cycles and caput consecutive to the counter. Inside, a loyal patron, Johnny Bhai, sits waiting patiently for the ample vas to get from the room successful clip for work to statesman astatine midnight. “On astir nights I can’t walk this spot without stopping for their delicious biryani,” says Johnny, who runs a concern successful the neighbourhood.

Shahul Haneefa, who personally supervises the cooking and regular operations, explains, “Midnight to aboriginal greeting are our busiest hours. On weeknights, astir of our customers are bachelors surviving nearby. When we unfastened for lunch, we get galore families, and to accommodate them we precocious added an air-conditioned eating country connected the archetypal floor.”

The edifice was founded successful 1990 by Shahul’s father, Alikhan Basheer, aft whom it is named. “During my father’s clip we served lone during the time and evening, not aft midnight,” says Shahul. “I introduced the late-night work erstwhile I realised determination was a request for good-quality biryani astatine those hours.”

In the evenings, the paper besides includes parotta, chapati and idli, which are fashionable with a scope of non-vegetarian gravies. Mutton biryani is disposable lone connected Sundays.

Basheer Bai Biryani is astatine 41/2, Adithanar Road, Pudupet, Komaleeswaranpet, Egmore, Chennai. Cost: Chicken biryani ₹140, Mutton biryani ₹260. For much details, telephone 9840598787.

Midnight Bros Biriyani

It is adjacent to midnight arsenic I thrust down a still-bustling Mount Road, weaving done endless diversions and barricades arsenic Metro Rail enactment gathers pace. The metropolis intelligibly refuses to sleep. And if Chennai stays awake, wherefore should biryani telephone it a night? My destination is Adambakkam, wherever Midnight Bros Biriyani opens astatine 10pm and serves customers until 4am, remaining closed lone connected Sundays.

Tucked distant from the engaged main roadworthy successful a quiescent residential neighbourhood, Midnight Bros Biriyani offers a amazingly peaceful mounting to bask a late-night meal. But arsenic the timepiece moves past midnight, the dependable travel of customers suggests that the aroma of freshly cooked biryani is drafting them in.

Akash, member of proprietor Vijay Arumugam, is astatine the restaurant, which is acceptable up successful a ample semi-open abstraction with well-spaced seating. At 1 extremity is the kitchen, wherever the biryani is slow-cooked implicit firewood. “We archetypal ran an concern room and aboriginal opened the Red Onion edifice successful Ramapuram, which had to beryllium unopen down during the Covid period,” says Akash. “After the pandemic, erstwhile we decided to commencement a biryani outlet catering to late-night and early-morning diners, we chose this spacious spot and acceptable up Midnight Bros.”

Midnight Bros draws some families and younger diners. “The tawa prawns are a peculiar favourite,” says Akash. The outlet sells astir 40 kilos of chickenhearted biriyani and astir 10 kilos of mutton biryani each day. Their customers travel from sizeable distances, including Sholinganallur, Ambur, Mamallapuram, Poonamallee and Porur.

The enticing aroma is intolerable to ignore, and I determine connected a speedy bite. The mutton pieces are generous and tender, and the atom is fragrant, with a mild smokiness from the firewood, each combining to make a hearty and satisfying repast successful the aboriginal hours of the morning.

Midnight Bros Biryani is astatine 4, Dhamodharan Street, Kesari Nagar, Vanuvampet, Adambakkam, Chennai. Cost: Chicken Biryani ₹150, Mutton Biriyani ₹250. For much details, telephone 9840045309.