Potlis, they say, have a historical origin, and why not? We have always heard about fish cooked in banana leaves or chicken cooked on charcoal in leaves or dough. Even oriental cuisine has a lot of so-called potlam recipes.

While it is common and has been there for centuries probably, the trend of having potlis in their menu has become the latest trend for restaurants. In a city that flaunts its Nawabi food, potlam Hyderabadi biryani comes as a huge attraction for food lovers in Sainkipuri. Anna Native is a south-Indian fusion restaurant that is now a blogger’s delight. They have a variety of potli dishes on their menu, and their chef shares that potlis can be made of leaves or maida. He, however, makes them with wheat flour, eggs, and cornflour. He says the joy and excitement of the customers when they cut open the potli is a sight to watch. He fills his potlis with rice, veggies, and meats.

Even before the trend began, there were already some restaurants like Sahib Sindh Sultan that had chicken cooked in dough and banana leaves. An extremely flavorsome dish, it is indeed the star dish of the restaurant.Another well-known chef from the city says that leaves and silver foil are best for potlis. He reminisces how they used to use butter paper for baking, poaching, and grilling chicken and fish during his stint in France. He also condones the usage of various leaves like banana leaves, coconut leaves, and mango leaves. But he warns that one has to understand which flavors they want the food to catch.

Then, of course, there are the ‘oriental potlis’ like momos, dim sums, Japanese rice where the rice is packed in an omelet... that have always enticed food lovers. So this time you go to a restaurant, make sure you order your share of potlis to keep in with the food trend of the season.