Biryani is a rice dish with its origins in the Indian subcontinent. Various versions have made its way here with the diaspora from the region.
A good biryani should feature fluffy rice, long grained basmati - aromatic with ghee and spices. Mutton or chicken, marinated overnight in herbs and spices is cooked separately. This is then layered with the rice and cooked together again. The resulting dish is one where the meat is ubelievably tender and the accompanying rice, fragrant with subtle flavours.
While there are hundreds of hawkers all over Singapore, a few can claim having a heritage that spans more than 50 years. Finding one involves a little hunt, given that some do not even have a signboard.
Look for tell tale clues like numerous gigantic pots each 2 feet in diameter, stacked in towers. There are no menus as there is only one dish being served. They are almost always manned by an all male group. The team will be working in the smallest space like a well oiled machine with a single focus: feeding a long snaking queue of hungry people.
These types of stalls typically open way before lunch around 11am and are sold out by 2pm, with a repeat performance at the same time almost everyday.