Food

Saffron chicken biryani for inauguration Shabbat

Saffron Chicken Biryani Image by Carly Pildis

By Carly Pildis January 21, 2021

#tweetyourshabbat is a global movement founded by Carly Pildis, celebrating the struggle and joy of getting Shabbat on the table every week. This is a place for real dinners and real conversations about Jewish life. Join us at Forward in sharing what you’ll be eating and how your feeling this week at #TweetYourShabbat

On Wednesday, my family gathered to watch inauguration day in our pajamas. We danced and sang and cuddled on the couch with donuts to watch history unfold.

When Vice President Harris and Joe Biden were sworn in, I stood up, cradling my four-year-old, cheek to cheek. I cried happy tears. I loved watching my Black-Jewish daughter see the first Black-South Asian woman vice president take the oath of office surrounded by her loving Jewish family. I loved Joe Biden’s beautiful speech and his clear renouncement of white supremacy. This man is a bridge-builder, a peacemaker, a president whose unfathomable losses shaped him into a deeply empathetic statesman.

When Joe Biden finally walked onto the White House grounds, waved, and then entered his new home, relief washed over me.

This Shabbat, I wanted something that celebrated the multiculturalism that the Trump Administration so deeply abhorred. I wanted something joyful, complex, and fit for a special occasion. I also needed something that could be done in one Insta-Pot, as I am still without a kitchen. I thought about Kamala Harris and how similar her family was to mine, and how that in and of itself is a repudiation of everything the Trump administration stood for. Chicken Biryani, a celebratory Indian dish, made kosher with a little creativity, seemed like the perfect way to celebrate the multiculturalism that truly makes America great.

Shabbat Shalom, President Biden and Vice President Harris. You have a lot of work ahead of you. May you bring shalom to us all.

Get the recipe here.

How was your week? How are you spending Shabbat? Let us know at #tweetyourshabbat! Everyone is welcome at this table! Come hungry.

Carly Pildis is an organizing and advocacy professional living in Washington, D.C.

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