Ambur Chicken Biryani

Ambur Chicken Biryani – Chicken cooked with spices and curd based gravy!

It’s been 5 long days that I haven’t posted – yes, there is a heap of tasks on my plate and time just flies leaving me puzzled about the work in hand. This post is about my Sunday lunch but I didn’t have half an hour to write, edit and post. Finally, Sunday spot found its spot on Wednesday.

As the title says, it’s all about Biryani today.  Being a south Indian, if you never had biryani, then you are obviously missing the real fun of food and life. I am a Biryani lover and have almost tasted all varieties of Biryani in my region. Though it is offered mostly in Feast, preparation of biryani is quite easy. One pot meal.  Biryani is basically cooking meat/chicken with spices. The type of rice used to prepare varies from region to region , say for Dindugal and Ambur, samba rice is used; for Mughal Biryani, Basmati rice is used.  The place Ambur in Vellore district is known for this special recipe – Biryani and was introduced by the Nawabs of Arcot. It is usually served with Khattay Bhaigan (Ennai Kathirikai) or with Onion Raitha (Vengayam Pachadi). The speciality of Ambur biryani is cooking samba rice with spices in curd base. The addition of curd moderates the spices and gives a unique flavor to the meat used in it.

I heard that your taste buds are drooling for the biryani and your mind is racing for the recipe. Now, without gyan, let me get straight to the point.

Note: Ambur Biryani is usually prepared with samba rice; since I couldn’t find samba rice here in the US, I used Kalzira aromatic rice for biryani. And, while cooking rice, there is no need to add spices along with it but I have used it to influence aroma to the rice. So, if you are using samba rice, you can avoid using cloves, cinnamon in the rice.

Biryani can be prepared by various ways – Cooking in a pressure cooker, half cooking on the stove top and half in an oven; using Dum Process – with dough or by using water.

I have prepared biryani by dum process with water and tawa.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups – Kalzira Aromatic Rice
• 1 cup Chicken pieces (Biryani tastes with bone chicken)
• 2 medium sized Onions, chopped finely
• 2 medium sized Tomato, chopped finely
• 2 Green Chilies
• ½ cup Mint leaves
• ½ cup Coriander leaves
• 1 cup Curd
• ¼ teaspoon Lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Ginger Garlic paste
• ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1 ½ teaspoon Red Chili powder
• 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
• 4 tablespoon Oil (I used vegetable Oil)
• 5 cloves
• 2 pieces of 1 inch Cinnamon stick
• 5 Cardamoms
• 3 Bay leaf
• Salt to taste

Method:

Cooking Rice

• Wash and clean rice with water; Soak rice in water for 20 minutes.
• In a large pot, bring water to boil; Add a clove, 1 cinnamon stick, a bay leaf and cardamom to the water. Add rice and cook for about 6-7 minutes. Rice should be half cooked. The cooking time depends on the type of rice used.

Cooking Chicken Masala

• Once it is half-cooked, drain the water from rice and keep aside
• Clean chicken pieces and add turmeric powder to it; Keep aside;
• In a large vessel, heat oil over medium heat.
• Add cloves, cinnamon and cardamom, bay leaf and saute for 2 minutes
• Add ginger garlic paste and saute until aroma comes out of it
• Add a tablespoon of curd and chicken; Cook with the lid covered until chicken becomes tender, for about 8 minutes. There is no need to add water as chicken leaves water
• Once chicken becomes tender, add onion, chilies, and cook until it becomes transparent
• Add chopped tomatoes and toss them well; cook until tomatoes become mushy
• Add spice powders, remaining curd, mint leaves, coriander leaves, salt and lemon juice
• Combine them well and cook for about 5-6 minutes over medium heat

Dum Process:

• Heat tawa over medium heat
• Bring water in a large pot to boil and keep aside
• Layer biryani in a larger pot as follows
• Make a layer of chicken masala at the bottom of the pot (I used the same pot in which I prepared masala

• Arrange a layer of half cooked rice on top of the masala

• Form a third layer with the remaining masala

• Complete the layering with a layer of rice as the fourth layer on top of masala

• Keep the layered pot on tawa

• Close the layered pot with the hot water pot.  By this way, the rice is cooked in both the ways – top and bottom

• Simmer it for about 20 minutes and switch off the flame
• Keep a standing time of about 10 minutes
• Mix the layer well at the time of serving
• Serve Biryani with raita of your choice or with Ennai kathirikai

And now, if you like the recipe, let me know by liking them in social media. Next time, if you are somewhere around Ambur, don’t forget to taste this delicious feast.

If your taste buds can’t wait till that, what are you looking for, prepare it for tomorrow’s lunch and surprise your family members!