Akhni: A staple at Sylheti iftars

During the holy month of Ramadan, there's one dish that tops everyone's list in Sylhet: Akhni. This dish made of fragrant rice and meat is a popular choice for iftar meals and family gatherings, offering a delightful alternative to biryani with its unique taste and texture.

From posh restaurants to humble street vendors, Akhni becomes ubiquitous throughout Ramadan.

THE PERSIAN CONNECTION

Derived from the Persian word "Yakhni", Akhni means broth. In Persian (present-day Iran) cuisine, Yakhni is a meat stew made of aromatic spices. In Iran, Yakhni-Pulao is a dish where the Pulao is cooked in the Yakhni. The Akhni is cooked using a similar process.

The earliest documentation of Yakhni in Bengal is found in 'Ain-i-Akbari'-- a 16th-century text detailing the Mughal Empire's administration under Emperor Akbar. This gives food historians the impression that Yakhni came to India through the chefs of the Mughal emperors.

HOW AKHNI REACHED SYLHET

Some historians believe the food came to Sylhet after 1303 AD when Sufi

Saint Hazrat Shahjalal (R) defeated King Gour Govinda of Sylhet. They think soldiers of the then Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khalji, who accompanied the mystic saint, could have brought the famous dish.

RECIPE

The recipe of Akhni in Sylhet is not unique, rather it varies from chef to chef.

However, the core recipe remains the same, according to seasoned chefs Jamal Miah, a 50-year-experienced chef, and Emon Miah, a 10-year-tenured chef.

The recipe demands aromatic rice and the same amount of meat—beef, mutton, or chicken—cut into small pieces.

The cooking process begins with the meat being cooked with sliced onions, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, ginger-garlic paste, peanut paste, sliced tomatoes, salt, and other flavourful spices.

The stew also features sliced carrots, pickles, raisins and pepper. After the meat is cooked, more water and the soaked aromatic rice are added.

After the rice is properly boiled and the water dried, an ample amount of ghee is added. Then the pot is left to cook for a while.

Biriyani is usually cooked with large meat pieces and many types of aromatic spices. But Akhni is cooked with fewer spices and smaller pieces of meat.

A VISIT TO IFTAR MARKETS

Farhad Ahmed, a local of Dariapara area, was seen buying Akhni from a restaurant in Zindabazar area recently.

"Akhni is my family's favourite delicacy for iftar during the month of Ramadan. As cooking Akhni at home is time consuming, we prefer to buy it from resturants," he said.

In Sylhet, beef Akhni is sold at around Tk 380 per kg, while chicken Akhni at around Tk 320 per kg.

Despite the influx of fancy restaurants offering all sorts of delights during Ramadan, Akhni remains the undisputed champion in Sylhet.

Every chef here, from seasoned veterans to wide-eyed rookies, can whip up a pot of this dish, said Chef Emon Miah.

The demand never seems to wane – Akhni's unique flavour profile, a mixture of fragrant rice simmered in a rich stew, simply holds a special place in the hearts (and stomachs) of Sylhetis.