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Hungrynaki Reviews: Haji Biryani

Whenever you hear Dhaka and Cuisine in the same sentence, Biryani will pop up in one way or the other. Old Dhaka is famous for its eclectic collection of Biryani places. But that same fame has carried over to New Dhaka as well. Because of the traditional connection of Bangladeshis with biryani, biryani restaurants have become a mainstay of Dhakai food tradition itself. The biryani revolution that bled over the whole country happened because of some names in the biryani world. One name that us consistent in the biryani discussion is : Haji Biryani. This is one biryani brand, that people used to come to Old Dhaka specifically to eat. So, today you have a very good idea of what to expect from one of the best .

Haji Biryani Packaging for tehari.
Classic Haji biryani packaging.

As you see in the review breakdown above, presentation and unique taste of Haji Biryani has made it possible for it to sustain its longevity in the crowded biryani restaurants. But because of its acquired taste, Haji might disappoint some spicy biryani lovers. But their overall range of Khichuri, Tehari and meat-based items still puts it in a unique place in the hearts of biryani lovers.

While Haji Biryani is a must-have, you can also check out here how to make your own Chicken Biryani. Order groceries and more from Hungrynaki and Stay Safe this Eid.

Steak Cooking Levels

Steak Cooking Levels: Know What you order

Steaks seem like the perfect meat dish, don’t they? Cut in a perfect shape, having the color, being the perfect dinner size; every aspect of a meaty, protein filled dinner can be found in a Steak. When you go to the restaurant and look through the menu, you might be tempted to order the largest t-bone steak they got! But, there is one thing that you need to take heed of. The thing is, the steak cooking levels. If you have never had steak, then knowing the difference between steak cooking levels may be very important for your steak eating experience. With Eid Festivities in full Swing, you might have a craving for the perfect steak with a meal of Bhuna Khichuri.

There are many levels of cooking steak and each of these levels depend on the time and temperature. We will now break down the levels of steaks. 

Steak Cooking Levels in depth

The Steak Cooking times and the temperature of the steak will determine what type of steak is being cooked. Here are the levels of steak cooking

  • Rare Steak
  • Medium Rare Steak
  • Well-Medium Steak
  • Medium Well Steak
  • Well Done Steak

Before going into the specifics of Each Cooking level, let’s see how you can determine the temperature. For this usually the restaurants use a meat thermometer. It’s just a regular thermometer to check the meat’s temperature. Usually, sticking the thermometer away from the bone or fat, in the thickest part of the meat tells the temperature. If you ever happen to cook a steak yourself, then this will help you.

Rare Steak

Image of Steak of Cooking Levels: Rare
Rare Steak is the pinkest

The Rare Steak is the closest to a raw steak you will see. This texture is achieved by cooking the steak as little as possible. The steak is cooked 49-55 Degrees Celsius for 5 minutes (1 inch steak). If you like raw steak, then go ahead and order a rare one. The Rare Steak is warm in the center, a little burned on the outside, brown on the sides, and in the middle its red. 

Medium Rare

Medium Rare
Medium Rare is red in the middle and a lighter pink in shade

If you go to a restaurant, and see no cooking levels in the menu, then chances are the steaks are cooked Medium Rare. Most Chefs use the Medium Rare as a standard of the steak being good. The Cooking temperature for the medium rare steak at a 55 to 57 Degree Celsius heat. The Center is pink in color and through the middle it should be warm throughout. The sides would caramelize with light brownish color. You can see grill marks on the steak. 

Medium  Steak

 Medium
Medium is Drier in Texture

The Medium Done steak is good for a group of eaters. The texture of meat is good enough for a large group of people.  The temperature for this one is 60 to 66 Celsius. This steak is light pink in the middle, but a more brownish meat on the outside. There should be a rich brown color on the sides and have a blackened effect on the bottom.

Medium Well Steak

Medium Well
Medium Well Done Steak is the Second Driest in Texture

The Medium Well Steak is for those who like to chew into their meat and want a tougher texture of meat. The meat looks a hint of pink with a brown surface. The top will have a well-burned effect. Restaurants usually cook the meat in a 68 to 74 Degree Celsius heat. 

Well Done Steak

Well done
Well Done Steak is a Rarity in Steak Cooking

The Well Done Steak isn’t a favorite of eaters or makers. It’s not totally dried out and it will not have any pink parts in the meat. The meat will not be charred and it will be a brown shade on the sides and surface as well. Those who like the texture will have no other cooking level than well done. The meat is the hardest and stiffest and it is solid in touch. The ideal cooking temperature for Well done steak is 77 degree Celsius.

Now, you know the levels of steak, you can easily order your desired steak from Hungrynaki! We have the best steak restaurants on our list. Get on your phone and order your favorite steak with Hungrynaki!

Keto Diet Banner with Keto Foods

Keto Diet: What is it and should you go for it?

With the world slowly growing worried about their food habits, there are more and more diets that are popping up here and there. While many schools of thought regarding what certain diet you should follow, it truly depends on the food habits and dedication of the person. But among all these schools of thought, one of the popular ones is the Keto Diet. Other than paleo, atkins, vegan; Keto is a quality diet plan people can follow. Let’s break down some of the finer points of the Keto diet and let’s see if it is for you.

What it is

Keto is the extreme type of low carb diet. The diet involves extremely cutting back carbohydrates and replacing it with healthy fats. This will trick your immune system to treat fats as carbs. This state is called ketosis. This ketosis helps you burn fat faster, and helps you transfer energy to the liver as well as brain. Ketosis helps you reduce insulin levels and blood sugar. 

Benefits of Keto Diet

The Keto diet has quite a lot of benefits attached to it. Because it helps to control insulin and blood sugar, it can curb diabetes. Because keto diets can help burn fat faster, it helps you moderate your weight loss goals. Because it has a low carb intake, you will get enough energy to burn. If you practice intermittent fasting, then you can easily lose weight with the help of a keto diet. Keto foods include meats, fish, eggs, lactose items like cheese & butter, nuts, and seeds. Other keto diet benefits include curbing heart disease benefits as well. 

Keto Diet Food Examples
Avocados, Meats, Cucumbers and Dairy Products are good Keto foods.

Check out our omelette recipe here to add to your Keto food list

Side Effects & Negatives

A keto diet plan can have great benefits. But only if the overall food balance is maintained. If you consume proteins more than fats, then it becomes tough to achieve ketosis. Fat burning won’t be possible. Apart from that, there is the fact that eliminating carbs can be an extremely tough decision for some. Especially for people in Bangladesh who depend on rice and bread. The discipline needed to follow a ketogenic diet may be quite tough. If you cannot followit properly then it may not be able to achieve the intended results. For those who are not initiated, you might get keto flu. In this state you will see nausea, digestive problems, sleep issues, hunger fluctuations and more. 

The Ketogenic Diet has a lot of benefits and some drawbacks. If you can follow the diet with proper discipline then you can lose fat faster. You can spice up the table with some tasty keto recipes. This might have had this diet explained. If you want to follow a this Diet, you can order grocery items from Hungrynaki and also your favorite keto filled dishes from your favorite restaurants. 

Bhuna Khichuri Recipe image with a plate of Khichuri

Bhuna Khichuri Recipe for a Rainy Day

On these wet days, when winds are blowing and rain is pouring down every fortnight or so; the stomach yearns for comfort food. No food item invokes more craving in a true Bangali like a plate of simmering bhuna khichuri. Known to people as hodgepodge in the western community, Khichuri is one of the best rice dishes in South East Asian Countries. A Well-made biryani maybe a favorite but khichuri is a close second. It’s an extremely popular dish and also a great mix with eggs, dried fish (shutki), meat curries, and a host of other items. When we were little, we used to badger our mothers for bhuna khichuri with meat curry or fried meat items. Heck, we do it even now! But today, we’ll show you how you can whip up your own dish of Bhuna khichuri yourself with a simple yet tasty Bhuna Khichuri Recipe. 

Bhuna Khichuri Recipe: Ingredients

  • 1 Cup of Scented Rice of any kind (pulao/basmati)
  • Half a cup of mung dal 
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 pieces of whole dry red chillies
  • 1 or 2 sticks of Cinnamon
  • 3 cardamoms
  • 4 pieces of Cloves
  • 3 tablespoon of ginger paste
  • 1 tablespoon of jeera powder
  • Chopped onions – 1 cup
  • 2 pieces of  Green chilly
  • A tablespoon of turmeric powder
  • Salt and Sugar according to your taste
  • Ghee according to taste
  • Beresta (Fried Onions) for Garnish 

Preparation

First wash the rice and dal properly in a container. Make sure you drain any water after washing. Heat the Ghee in a traditional pan. Add the bay leaf, dried red chilli, ginger paste, cinnamon sticks, cardamom one after the other. Let the pan simmer for a bit. After this add the rice and dal to the pan, fry everything together for 5 minutes. On the side, add sliced onions and keep frying until they change golden in color. Turn down to the medium heat, and add water. Close the lid and let the mix cook. The rice and dal will absorb the water and turn soft. Once its texture is like that add jeera powder. You can add in cashew, almonds, and raisins if you want your khichuri to be fancy. Sprinkle some beresta and pour ghee and serve with the curry or fried egg of your choice. 

Beresta Makes your Khichuri Crackle!

Order the best Khichuri and other rice dishes at Hungrynaki! Our delivery is swift and sure to take all the lockdown measures. So, stay safe and chow down with Hungrynaki!

Borhani recipe banner with borhani glasses

Borhani Recipe For a Zingy Time in Lockdown

If you have not heard of Borhani, then one of few things is happening here. Either you are reading from another country or you’re too young. Borhani is a quintessential Bangali drink. In wedding feasts, it’s almost absurd to not have borhani on the table. After a spicy, delicious meal of Biryani or Tehari, borhani brings a sense of completion. In some events like marriages, it is almost impossible to think of a platter without this zingy drink. Borhani is a yoghurt-based drink that also has spices mixed in. The drink is delicious and helps to digest rich meals too. But that doesn’t mean you can’t crave for a glass of borhani yourself. That is why we are bringing in an easy to make borhani recipe for you to make at home. 

Borhani Recipe: Ingredients

  • Yoghurt – 500 grams
  • Quarter of a Teaspoon White Pepper Powder
  • Half a tablespoon Mustard Powder
  • Half a tablespoon Paste of Fresh Mint Leaf
  • Teaspoon Red Chilli Powder – 1/4 of a teaspoon
  • Quarter of a Teaspoon Roasted Cumin Powder
  • Quarter of a tablespoon Roasted Coriander Powder
  • Half a tablespoon Ginger Paste
  • Half a tablespoon Green Chilli paste
  • 1 Tablespoon Sugar 
  • 1 teaspoon Black Salt
  • Salt according to taste
  • Half a Cup of Water

Preparation

Borhani needs well whisked yoghurt

Whisk the Yoghurt properly. Use a mixer if you want but control the whisking process so that it doesn’t get too thin in texture. You need a bit of chunkiness, for proper taste. Mix the yoghurt, water, and the spices one by one. Do this until the contents properly mixed and becomes fine. Keep the mix in the fridge. Then, Take it out and serve chilled. 

Order Borhani with biryani from your favorite restaurants, from Hungrynaki. Hungrynaki has the best traditional restaurants in Dhaka and your instant Borhani Craving can be easily quenched with Hungrynaki!

Gloria Jeans Review Image with a coffee cup

Hungrynaki Reviews: Gloria Jeans

Gloria Jeans is an international coffee based franchise. It has come to the Bangladeshi shores and has become one of the must-go coffee places in Bangladesh for coffeeholics. It might be one of the most frequented coffee places in Dhaka. While there is a whole roster of coffee options to choose from, there are also snacks and meals that you can buy from Gloria jeans.

Our Review has broken down the many aspects of how the international coffee juggernaut has fared in Bangladesh. While tea-based alternatives and the price may be a bit steep, this brand has its followers. It is because of their international level of coffee blends and flavors on show. While we Bangladesh has a love affair with its lemon or masala tea, it is pretty apparent why coffee has gained such a following among Bangladesh.

You can check out the menu from Gloria Jeans Bangladesh. Order your favorite coffee, snacks, and Groceries from Hungrynaki as well.

History of Pizza: Origins of A fast food legend

Pizza is a circular flat bread that oozes cheese, meat, sauces, and salads. That is such a basic and almost criminal description of arguably one of the most famous items in fast food and comfort foods. Whenever you talk about fast food pizza and burgers are the first food items that float up in our mind. But, whenever we speak about Pizzas, we get caught up in its taste and ingredients. But don’t you ever want to know what the pizza’s origins are? Where did the round flat bread originated? And how did today’s pizza come to be? Well, we will be answering these questions today, as we tell you about the origins and a brief history of Pizza!

The beginnings

The history of the pizza timeline is a bit longer than you may think. Pizzas are an ancient form of food. Flatbreads with toppings such as the modern pizza, were regular items in the food tables of Romans, Ancient Egyptians, and Greeks. But the modern or traditional pizza came into existence in the city of Naples. Naples is an Italian city in the Southwestern region. Here, in the 1700s , Naples city had a lot of working class people. As a waterfront city, these working class, poor people became a dense part of Naples City. The people here had a need to consume quick meals to get to their work quickly. So, around that time, the round flatbread with herbs, toppings, and small fish like anchovies became quite popular. Thus, Pizza was born. Small street vendors in Naples, sold these Pizzas to meet the needs of the blue collar Naples workers. 

King Umberto and Queen Margherita Helped Popularize the Pizza in other parts of Italy

After the unification of Italy in 1861, Their king at the time (Umberto the first), travelled with his queen to naples. They had had enough of their upper class French standard of food that they were being served during their travels. So, the king ordered his subjects to bring a mix of Pizzas from Naples. Queen Margherita enjoyed Pizza topped with soft white cheese called Mozzarella along with tomatoes and green basil. That certain Pizza was named Pizza Margherita from then on.

Progression

Lombardi’s was one of the first Pizza restaurants in New York.

After the origin of Pizza, the flatbread would be just popular within Italy. After the 1940s though, Italian Immigrants would come to the shores of the United States, because of the raging World War. The immigrants from Naples came to U.S cities such as Boston, St. Louis in Missouri, Chicago, New Haven, and of course, New York. Immigrants would make crusty reimaginings of the Naples pizzas. As immigrants got work as factory help, the eating habits spread like wildfire. Non-Italians were also falling in love with the many toppings, smells, and cheesy goodness of the Naples delicacy. In Manhattan, Gennaro Lombardi was the first vendor who registered as a Pizza store in Manhattan. It’s still in operation to this day. There were many other pizza places opening up in the U.S. like Pepe’s, Mario’s, etc. 

History of Pizza: The Present

After the 2nd World War, American industries spread across the world. Pizza had already been established as an American import, in spite of its Italian origins. It spread across the world. Even Pizza places opened up in Bangladesh. Domino’s, Pizza Hut spread across 60 countries and now Pizza is an international fast food. 

Now, you can order your favorite Pizza from Hungrynaki. Choose from our wide variety of restaurants and enjoy your favorite pizza slice!

Chillox Burgers Review image with Chillox logo

Hungrynaki Reviews: Chillox Burger

Chillox is one restaurant that has helped to usher in the new burger popularity in Dhaka. If you haven’t heard about Chillox Burger yet, then you’re in luck. Our Review breaks down the good and the bad. Our Ratings gives a good over view of what you should expect from Chillox Burgers.

There’s no denying the fact that burgers have become one of the essential comfort foods in Bangladesh. At one point in time, the burgers we ate were but a pale imitation of the ones we get to enjoy today. Just two bun slices with a patty made of onions, and if you were lucky you would get a cheese slice! Small bakeries used to sell burgers like this. But now, the burger game has changed for the better. Restaurants and Chains have brought the international burger to the forefront with their own unique recipes. Chillox brings that international flair to their menu. The menu for Chillox Burgers has a wide range of burgers.

You can check out more burger places and more of your favorites from Hungrynaki!

Chicken Biryani Recipe image with a plate of Biryani on the table

A Basic Chicken Biryani Recipe

A pure Bangladeshi foodie knows the specialty of a  Biryani. Puran Dhaka has an iconic bond with Biryani, as many people connect the area with it. But in recent times, New Dhaka has also come up with new outlets to satiate the people’s never ending demand for a proper biryani. Biryani is one of the most popular comfort foods of Bangladesh. Now, if you can’t seem to go out (in the pandemic and lockdown, don’t risk it anyway!), and you can’t order your favorite biryani for some reason, we have your back! Here we have a basic chicken biryani recipe for you to whip up at your home. 

The Item: Chicken Biryani

While we are more than aware of the more famous mutton variant Kacchi Biryani, the Chicken Biryani variant is the second most popular variant in the Biryani family. Because, Chicken goes well with almost every rice dish! Biryani is no exception. Although the overall process is quite different from the kacchi variant. We will break down how you can cook for your family at your home.

Chicken Biryani Recipe Ingredients (Four Persons)

  • 500 Grams of Basmati rice
  • 1 Kg Chicken (Thighs and Breasts pieces Preferably)
  • 6 tablespoons of yoghurt
  • 2 and a half tablespoons of Ginger garlic Paste
  • Biryani Masala or Garam masala if biryani Masala isn’t available – 1 tablespoon
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon read chilly powder
  • Half tablespoon of turmeric (ground up)
  • 2 tablespoons of Lemon juice
  • 2 bay leaf pieces, 
  • 8 green cardamoms
  •  Cloves
  •  2 cinnamon pieces
  •  2 star anises
  •  1 and a half teaspoons of Shahi jeera
  •  2 strand maces

Preparation

Preparing the Chicken

First, Mix the Chicken with the other ingredients apart from the rice. Set the mixture aside for at least an hour. You can also let it sit overnight. While the mixture sets, you can take the rice in a large pot and rinse thrice for good effect. Next, you have to cook the meat. Take a small amount of ghee or oil in a pressure cooker or large bottom pot. Take 2 bay leaf pieces, 8 green cardamoms, cloves, 2 cinnamon pieces, 2 star anises, 1 and a half teaspoons of Shahi jeera and 2 strand maces to cook the chicken.

On a pan, cook sliced onions until they become a light brown shade. Add the marinated chicken with the whole spices. Cook for five minutes, or until they become a pale shade. Lower the flame then and keep cooking the chicken until it becomes soft and cooked through properly. Now add the yoghurt, biryani masala, red chilly powder, 1 tablespoon green chilli powder, and mint leaves to the chicken

Prepare the Biryani

Mix both the rice and the chicken very well in an even manner in one layer. In a separate pot, pour 6 cups of water, and pour half or 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir the water and once it’s salty, pour 4 cups of water across the side of the cooker. Pour the rest of the water on top of the rice.

Make sure the rice is evenly distributed on top of the meat. You can add mint leaves if you want. Once this has been done, cover the cooker. Keep cooking the rice, if undercooked, add more water from time to time. When it’s done, let it rest for approximately 20 minutes. Remove the Cooker and serve in layers. 

Chicken Biryani Prepared and Ready to Serve!

There are many more variations of the chicken biryani recipe, but this version should be easy enough to make. If you don’t really feel like cooking, then Hungrynaki brings you the best biryani restaurants in Dhaka. Order from home, be safe and enjoy!

Prominent Comfort Foods are shown on a platter

What are Comfort Foods? Know exactly what they are

Food is one of the basic needs and a topic for spirited discussion among us. Our food gives us the energy to power through the day and keep our body functional. But food just doesn’t have to be a necessity. A very big part of food is providing enjoyment, giving fulfilment of the mind, and fulfilling the taste buds. That is where the term comfort foods come in. Because of the enjoyment portion, comfort foods have become a huge part of our regular food habits. But, more often than not, most people don’t really know of the term itself! So, here we are breaking down the question: “What are comfort foods?”

What is a Comfort Food?

We mentioned how we need food for our nutritional benefits. But, We also need food for our minds as well. Do you ever get a craving for a certain food? You might not have felt hungry in particular, but you just wanted to have something? On a summer day, you might have felt like having an ice cream cone or may have just wanted to get your favorite soft drink. This is what it means as a comfort food. Snacks, fast foods, ice cream etc. can be called comfort foods. So if you ever thought “Is ice cream a comfort food?”, then you were right. 

If we were talking about specific ingredients, then we would see that these foods have a lot of Carbohydrates or Sugar. But healthy comfort foods are also being made all over. So, there are healthy options that also give you comfort.  

So, any food can be a comfort food if it gives you enjoyment. Sometimes, if you have nostalgic value attached to a food item, then that’s also a comfort food. 

The Most popular Comfort foods in Bangladesh

Biriyani, one of the most popular  comfort food in Bangladesh
Biriyani, The most popular local comfort food in Bangladesh.

There are quite a lot of foods that we eat as comfort foods. As Bangladeshis, there are quite a few popular comfort foods. The most popular comfort food of local origin is the Biryani. It is one of the foods that Bengalis have to celebrate and feel good about an event or anything really. We even make biryani at home when we want to experiment. Jhalmuri is one of the more popular street foods which has a lot of nostalgic value attached to it. We can count on the fact that there are a lot of friends who are experts in gobbling down plates of Fuchka and Chotpoti! Puri, Piyaju, and Shingara are three small local restaurant foods that are also popular. These street foods along with Alur Dum, Bhelpuri, Chanachur mix, Gola Ice creams, Chori bhaja etc. are some of the most popular Deshi Comfort Foods you will encounter. 

But, in recent times foreign foods such as Pizzas, Chicken Fries burgers, pasta, spaghetti, chinese cuisines, and international fast food items are quite popular among Bangladeshi foodies as comfort foods. Continued success of international franchises such as KFC, Pizza Hut and recently Domino’s has only made international comfort foods much more appealing to Bangladeshi audiences.

Be Careful

While it is certainly enjoyable to be chowing down on your favorite comfort food dishes, you really have to make sure you don’t go overboard. Because comfort foods concentrate on the taste, many food items may not agree with your health goals. Be responsible and pace yourself when you are consuming comfort foods. So, mix it up with healthier options as well as tasty food items. You won’t be putting on extra weight and check your health goals at the same time.

Whatever may be your favorite comfort food, Hungrynaki has access to the highest quality of restaurants in Bangladesh. Check out the restaurants and have your favorite comfort food delivered to your doorstep.