Since 1929, Aminia has been cooking up calorie-laden biryani and hearty haleem in its retro interiors that has us coming back for more.
Kolkata’s iconic biryani joint, Aminia is hidden in the chaos near New Market. If you’re looking for luxurious interiors, you may be disappointed but the food and flavour will leave you begging for more. Over-enthusiastic staff, metal chairs, whirring ceiling fans and prompt service is what you get. If you’re there with your family, you can request a ‘family room’ which is a tiny cabin with a curtain for privacy.
One of the city’s iconic biryani joints, Aminia’s biryani is as satisfying, filling, hearty and flavourful as always. You get mutton and chicken biryani at INR 160. If you’re not a biryani person, the Mutton Boti Kebab, Chicken Chaap and Mutton Burra Kebab are top picks to go with a fresh off-the-tandoor roti. The custardy-smooth firni is another classic dish served here. For just INR 30, it’s served in an easy to transport container and is the perfect end to the meal.
During the month of Ramzan, Aminia adds an Arabian-Persian classic dish to their menu – beef, chicken or mutton haleem. Some believe Aminia to be the oldest commercial makers of haleem (they’ve been churning out barrels of Haleem since 1929!). the slow-cooked dish is made overnight over woof-fired cauldrons and is laden with over 40 ingredients. The third-generation recipe is eaten with soft warm rotis dipped into the piping hot gravy.
They feed over 1,000 people different types of haleem on a daily basis. On Sundays, around 200 plates are sold in just an hour so if you want some for yourself, you’ll have to line-up early. A plate comes for just INR 110+.