Lucknow’s famous biryani outlet serves labourers in veg avatar

Lucknow’s famous biryani outlet serves labourers in veg avatar

Yusra.husain@timesgroup.com

Lucknow: 19.05.2020

Famous for its delectable Awadhi biryani across the country, Lucknow’s ‘Wahid Biryani’ has turned vegetarian for a noble cause — to feed the migrants who are passing via the city on way to their homes.

The popular eatery has been feeding over 1,500 migrant workers daily for the past one week, by serving the vegetarian fare, that includes vegetable biryani made of cottage cheese and peas, and rechristened as Navratna Biryani.

This is for the first time in its 65-year history that the eatery, which now has seven outlets in Lucknow, is serving a vegetarian platter.

Since the joint’s chefs left for their homes after the lockdown was clamped, Wahid Biryani owner Abid Ali Quraishi has donned the chef ’s cap along with his family members. Despite the family observing rozas, it is cooking and serving food to the migrants on the city’s outskirts.

The eatery has set up distribution tables, with Tricolour hoisted near them, at four points on the city’s outskirts — Chinhat, Polytechnic Crossing, Sitapur Road, and Agra Expressway. The family of four, including Abid’s two sons and a brother, along with some staff, are serving the food. Abid said they will continue serving even after Eid.

“Hum apni poori jaan aur poora maal laga rahe hain is seva mein (We are putting all our heart and soul and money into the service). We just hope that the labourers reach their homes safely and we can help them on the way,” Abid told TOI.

About four cauldrons (degh) of Navratna Biryani are being cooked daily and then ferried to the four spots. Each cauldron contains 15kg biryani which is served to about 400 people.

In addition, the platter includes potato or paneer sabzi, fruits, juice boxes, biscuits and water bottles.

TASTY TREAT: Wahid Biryani has set up four stalls in Lucknow from where food is being distributed