Hyderabad curries are a favourite: no one knows the origins of biryani – but this region of India is said to serve the best (and some plates of the dish cost as little as 50 cents)

When we ordered a mutton biryani at Shadab restaurant – ‘enjoy every bite!’ – in Hyderabad all I saw was a mottled pyramid of rice coming our way on a silver platter.

But then the ingredients became visible: lusciously perfumed chunks of mutton, with a kaleidoscopic array of flavors – including roasted onions, ginger, garlic, cinnamon and cumin seeds – served with a side dish called mirchi ka salan, a chilli and peanut curry mix.

No one knows the origins of biryani, but it is believed to have arrived from Central Asia with the conquering Moghuls, where it was then refined in the Muslim kingdoms of Lucknow in northern India and Hyderabad in southern India.

There are animated debates about which version offers the best version, with Hyderabad usually winning the argument.

Food historian Jonty Rajagopalan believes that ‘the secret is in marinating the meat’.

Bruce visits the Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad (pictured), where biryani is served at the flagship restaurant

The next important point is how the meat – usually mutton – is seasoned and layered between the rice.

Both are cooked together, sometimes with the skin of green papaya added to tenderize it.

We started with some of the more aristocratic versions of biryani.

This requires a short trip to Falaknuma Palace, a large classical mansion on a rocky citadel overlooking Hyderabad.

It is a former palace of the Nizam, the region’s ruler until Indian independence, who was once considered the richest person on earth.

Food historian Jonty Rajagopalan believes that ‘the secret’ of making the best biryani ‘is in marinating the meat’. Pictured: Charminar in Hyderabad, the region said to serve it best

“No one knows the origins of biryani, but it is believed to have arrived from Central Asia with the conquering Moghuls,” writes Bruce (file image)

At the flagship restaurant, each biryani comes in its own round silver container with a chapati-like top as tight as a drumhead that is sealed around the edges with dough.

Once broken, spices and aromas of mutton are released.

The most popular chain of biryani restaurants in Hyderabad is Paradise – the world’s favorite biryani – with almost 30 outlets.

The main branch, near the Sunshine Hospital in Hyderabad, has posters of famous Indian personalities on the walls, including cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.

Some argue that the Paradise biryani is too spicy to qualify as authentic. But it’s excellent value at just over £3.

Even lower in the culinary pecking order, the curiously named Saddam Hotel Restaurant serves hundreds of biryani dishes daily from enormous steaming pots for just over 50 cents per plate.

Paradise is the most popular chain of biryani restaurants in Hyderabad. Bruce dines at the main branch (pictured) near Sunshine Hospital in Hyderabad

Above, the posters of famous Indian personalities on the walls of Paradise’s main location

Then we went to the legendary Shadab, where about 200 people sat in padded leatherette booths with fans whirring above.

They were all looking for bite-sized portions of mutton, wrapping it around the rice and eating it with their fingers.

After my first bite, I realized that my search for the perfect biryani was over. This was it.