cooked separately before being layered and cooked together for the gravy to absorb into the rice. Pulao is a single-pot dish: meat (or vegetables) and rice are cooked separately and they are not mixed. However, some other writers, such as Holly Shaffer (based on her observations in Lucknow), R. K. Saxena, and Sangeeta Bhatnagar have reported pulao recipes in which the rice and meat are cooked together and then simmered for dum cooking until the liquid is absorbed. Biryanis have more complex and stronger spices compared to pulao. The British-era author Abdul Halim Sharar mentions the following as their primary difference: biryani has a stronger taste of curried rice due to a greater amount of spices. Ingredients Ingredients for biryani vary according to the region and the type of meat and vegetables used. Meat (of either chicken, goat, beef, lamb, prawn or fish) is the prime ingredient with rice. As is common in dishes of the Indian subcontinent, vegetables are sometimes also used when preparing biryani. Corn may be used depending on the season and availability. Navratan biryani tends to use sweeter, richer ingredients such as cashews, kismis and fruits, such as apples and pineapples. The spices and condiments used in biryani may include fennel seeds, ghee (clarified butter), nutmeg, mace, pepper, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, coriander, mint, ginger, onions, tomatoes, green chilies, and garlic. The premium varieties include saffron. The main ingredient that usually accompanies the spices is chicken or goat meat; special varieties might use beef or seafood instead. The dish may be served with dahi chutney or raita, korma, curry, a sour dish of aubergine (brinjal), boiled egg, and salad. Preparation styles: pakki versus kacchi biryani Biryani can be cooked using one of two styles/techniques, pakki ("cooked") and kacchi ("raw"). In a pakki biryani, the rice, marinated meat, and any vegetables are partially ("three-quarters") cooked separately, before being combined into layers in a cooking vessel. Different layers of rice may be treated with different spices (e.g., with dissolved saffron or turmeric to give the rice different colours and flavours).The contents are then baked to complete the cooking and allow the flavours to combine. Alternatively, the components may be fully cooked, and then simply combined by layering before serving. In a kacchi biryani, layers of raw marinated meat are alternated in layers with wet, pre-soaked, raw rice (which may be treated with different spices as above), and