I’ve never met a biryani I didn’t enjoy. Can anything be more marvelous than a big pot of Biryani? My favorite right here is the AMBUR Chicken Biryani.
The start of Ambur Chicken Biryani
This Ambur Chicken Biryani is a fantastic one-pot meal with juicy chicken cooked in special freshly ground spices along with the onion and tomato, along with the aromatic seeraga/jeeraga samba rice. The fresh hers are a crowning glory. The flavor and taste of meat is more dominant in Ambur biryani than the other ones due to the fewer spices used. This is a biryani for spice lovers. The story of Ambur biryani can be traced back to the Mughal kitchens. The Nawabs of Arcot (established by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb) who ruled the Carnatic region of South India mainly in the 18th century used Arcot (near Ambur) as their base and it’s in these kitchens that the Ambur Biryani saga began.
AMBUR BIRYANI/ AMBUR STYLE CHICKEN BIRYANI
Using whole chicken with bones is a must. The rice that we use in this particular style of biryani is also what makes it special. Jeeraga samba/seeraga samba rice is important. The freshly made biryani masala might feel like a stretch, but that one teaspoon of powder will make a huge difference. Cooking the chicken almost 70 percent before adding the rice is also a very important step to ensure the chicken is cooked through and is flavorful, this way, the chicken soaks up the spices and salt and lends to a juicy and flavorful final dish. Use fresh spices.
COOKING THE AMBUR BIRYANI
1.Soaking the rice is an important step.
2. Making the biryani masala, toasting it lightly is important.
3. Grinding the red chilies along with ginger and garlic is important for this style of biryani. Frying them along with the oil is even more important. Cook on medium to low heat.
4. The chicken should be cooked to almost 70%, along with spices. Once you add the rice, you can’t mix it. Add water and make sure to not touch it.
5. Salting the rice correctly is important. It can be slightly, very slightly salty. Once it cooks, it will be perfect. If you undersalt the water, the final biryani will be less salty and you cannot do anything later. And it goes the other way too, too much salt and you’ll regret it.
6. Once the rice comes to a boil, cooking it on dum is KEY. For Ambur Biryani, cook on dum. Use a iron griddle or any other heavy bottomed flat griddle to cook on dum. Reduce the heat and let it cook through for 30 minutes.
7. The most important part is to let it sit and settle before you serve it.
Ambur style chicken Biryani might feel like many ingredients, so worth it. Try it out.
ENJOY!
- 3 cups of seeraga samba rice
- 3 pounds or one whole chicken, cut to large chunks with bone
- 1 extra large red onion or 3 small onions, cut to lengthwise
- 10-15 red chilies
- 10 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 inches ginger, peeled and chopped
- 4 small tomatoes, chopped
- 1 packed cup mint leaves, chopp
- ⅓ cup of veg oil
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 5 whole cardamom
- 3 cloves
- 1 inch cinammon stick
- 2 bay leaf
- 1 black cardamom
- 1 star anise
- ½ cup full fat sour yogurt
- Juice of one lemon
- ⅓ tsp turmeric powder
- Salt
- 1 tbsp biryani masala
- 5 cups of water
- 2 tbsp coriander seeds or dhaniya seeds
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 3 kashmiri red chilli (dried)
- 6 bay leaf / tej patta
- 1 tsp cloves / lavang
- 3 black cardamom / badi elachi
- 3 star anise / chakkar phool
- 2 inch cinnamon stick / dalchini
- 1 nutmeg / jaayaphal
- 1 tbsp pepper / kali mirch
- Wash the rice gently and Soak for 30 minute.
- Wash the chicken with turmeric and drain the water and let it sit.
- Cut the onions lenghtwise.
- In a bow, add the red chilies, ginger and garlic. Let soak for 10 minutes in boiling water. Grind to a paste. Set aside.
- Chop the tomatoes.
- Cut the mint and cilantro.
- Take a heavy bottomed large pot to make the biryani.
- Add oil and ghee. Toss in the spices and make sure not to burn them. Add the onions and reduce the heat to medium. Cook the onions till it almost crispy and super soft.
- Now it's time to add the chilly paste. Saute and cook the paste until it loses it's raw smells of the ginger and garlic, this will take anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes on low heat.
- Add the mint and cilantro and cook for another 2 minutes before you add the tomatoes. Cook the tomatoes for 2 minutes.
- Add the chicken, add salt, biryani masala and turmeric powder. Keep mixing and tossing the chicken very well and cook it until about 70 percent cooked. Add the yogurt. Mix very well. You should have very less liquid at this point. The water from the tomatoes should've evoporated.
- Pour the rice in. and the water. Mix well, check for salt. THis is the step you can add the salt. Let it come to a bubble. Once the rice with chicken comes to a bubble, pour in the juice of the lemon, Cover the pot with a secure tight lid, important. Now, using a heavy bottomed tawa, put the pot on the tawa and cook on dum for 30 minutes. The flame has to be very low, on simmer.
- After 30 minutes, switch off the flame and bring the pot on the countertop and let it sit for another 30 minutes before serving.
When cooking the rice, make sure to use only enough water. The rice is soaked, so you really don't need too much water. Also you don't need too much water because the rice grains are tiny.
If you feel like the chicken mixture is too watery, reduce the water.
If you make this delicious Ambur Biryani, *Please do tag me on Instagram @foodfashionparty, using the hashtag #foodfashionparty and and rate the recipe. Check out my book MASALA AND MEATBALLS.
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Looks so delicious.. definitely going to try it.. thanks gor sharing the recipe..if want to cook in pressure cooker what is rice n water ratio..
Thank you!
You water to rice ratio would be the same. Maybe reduce it by 1/2 a cup.