Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... True, a recipe for biryani, Asia’s delicious rice dish, is long. So many ingredients, right? But also, so many aromas, so many flavors, so many textures.

Last weekend, while meandering through the farmers market, a young lady came up to me, tugged on my sleeve and whispered in my ear, “Please! Do a biryani class or teach us how to make one!” I was ...