ice biriyani

Have you tasted it?

I Googled and got more than 2,00,000 results in 0.90 seconds on ice and biriyani.

Most of them were about preparing biriyani and ice cream.

But not ice biriyani.

It seems the recipe should be patented.

No, I will not be the title holder. It goes to a daughter of a watchman near my house.

One summer afternoon she came asking for 'cool water.' I thought it might be for her father to wash down some country liquor.

"No," she said, "it's for me ...to make ice biriyani."

"Ice biriyani?" I double-checked since I was half asleep.

"Yes," she laughed. "But I will not give it to you and won't tell you its recipe... athu sollakoodathu."

I should have bartered it for the cold water. But I didn't for fear of annoying her.

This continued for two more days. I religiously kept aside a two-litre bottle of cold water for her secret portion. No questions asked.

May be she thought it was injustice on her part to take privileges from me without letting me know its preparation.

"Do you want to know," she asked.

"If it is not a horrifying task for you to explain," I said.

After a few seconds of silence she said: "Its an easy-to-make dish but not everybody will like it. I make it for my child. Of course, all of us eat it."

Whenever there is more quantity of rice available during the night it is kept aside for the next day. Same is the case with curries.

Nothing is wasted. "We cannot afford it."

The next afternoon the rice and curries are mixed along with cold water.

"It can beat any summer," she smiles.

"And my child is also happy as he too eats biriyani -- ice biriyani."