Thalappakkatti Chicken Biriyani
Thalappakkatti Chicken Biriyani is a popular chicken biriyani recipe using aromatic spices and seeraga sambar rice from the state of Tamilnadu.
The best part about this Thalappakatti chicken biriyani is that it uses a special kind of rice originally called zeeraga samba rice. Its a short grained variety, sort of resembles rissoto rice.
There is a unique aroma that comes from using zee raga samba rice. It also makes it richer and I feel compared to basmati rice. If you live in a place where you don’t have access to this variety of rice, feel free to replace it with basmati rice. just change the water measurements.
In this recipe some of the ingredients that makes it unique are addiion of nutmeg, kalpasi and grinding to make a fresh paste is the one that makes it a very delicious biriyani. Do follow it to the T.
If you have lived in Chennai and in 1990s there were few restaurants which served for week end eat outs unlike today. They were the famous ponnusamy hotel, thalapatti hotel.
Thalappakatti chicken biriyani is a distant dream for those living abroad like me. This is a small attempt to relive those memories in our own homes. By no means this is the exact recipe but, definitely makes you bring back those memories.
I have researched andnobiced that there are few ingredients, that make this Thalapakkatti Chicken Biriyani stand apart and I have included it in the recipe. Do follow it to the T.
Many who follow soulsomecooking page on social media have tried it and I gave great feedback.
How to eat
This Thalappakatti chicken biriyani is so flavorful and can be eaten with plain raita and boiled egg.
Check out other biriyani side dish recipes below,
Chicken Kuzhambu with coconut milk
Ingredients required
Ingredients
- 2 cups Seeraga samba rice
- 3.75 cups water
- 650 Gms Chicken
- 4 tbsp Yoghurt
- Salt (to taste)
- 10-12 tbsp Oil
- 1 juice of Lemon
- 2 tbsp Ghee
To grind :
- 2 large coins ginger (1 cm thick)
- 10-12 Garlic pods
- 6-7 Green chillies
- 3 inch sticks Cinnamon stick
- 6-7 no.s Cloves
- 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
- 2-3 strands Mace
- 4-5 no.s Cardamom
- 1 pinch Stone flower
- 2 no.s Onions (Medium sized)
- 1 handful Corriander leaves
- 1/2 hand ful Mint leaves
Spice powders :
- 1 tsp Red chilli powder
- 2 tsp Corriander powder
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
- Cumin powder – 1 tsp
- 1 tsp Fennel powder
- 1 tsp Black pepper powder
Prep work before you begin
Clean the chicken pieces
wash and soak the seepage samba rice for 30 minutes.
Keep “To grind” ingredients ready.
Vegetarian Version
The same recipe can be used to make a vegetarian version using mixed vegetables such as carrots, beans, potatoes and peas. Just ensure you time it enough to cook the vegtabables. As the chicken used in the recipe takes longer to cook, vegetables need not be cooked for too long.
How to make Dindigul Thalappakatti chicken biriyani
- Take clean blender and add the following ingredients to it and blend to a smooth paste – Ginger, garlic, green chillies, cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, stone flower, nutmeg, mace, 1/2 onion, coriander and mint leaves.
- Transfer the ground paste to a bowl and use the same blender to blend the remainder onion (1 and 1/2 onions).
- Wash and soak the seeraga samba rice a few times and soak in 3.75 cups for 30 minutes.
- Heat a pressure pan, add oil and ghee once hot add the ground ginger garlic and spices paste. Sautee in the oil for a good 2-3 minutes until the masalas cook off in the oil.
- Next add in the ground onion paste. Cook for 5 -10 minutes until the onions are cooked well and is slightly browned.
- Add in the spice powders, red chilli powder, corriander powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, fennel seed powder, pepper powder, salt and yoghurt and cook until the oils are separated.
- Add the the cleaned chicken pieces and fold it into the prepared masala paste. Cover and cook for about 20-25 minutes, until the chicken is 90 percent cooked and oil is separated. Stir in between to avoid burning.
- Measure and add water about 3.75 cups (use the water in which the seepage samba rice was soaked), check salt, add in lime/ lemon juice and cover and bring to a boil.
- Add the soaked seeraga samba rice cover and pressure cook for 1 whistle on medium flame and then keep flame on low to medium and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Turn off the flame after 20 minutes and open the pressure cooker once pressure is released fully.
- Genly fluff it using a ladle without breaking rice or chicken, serve with raita and boiled egg.
Thalappakatti Chicken Biriyani
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 2 cups Seeraga samba rice
- 3.75 cups water
- 650 Gms Chicken
- 4 tbsp Yoghurt
- Salt (to taste)
- 10-12 tbsp Oil
- 1 juice of Lemon
- 2 tbsp Ghee
To grind :
- 10-12 Garlic pods
- 2 large coins ginger (1 cm thick)
- 6-7 Green chillies
- 6-7 no.s Cloves
- 3 inch sticks Cinnamon stick
- 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
- 2-3 strands Mace
- 4-5 no.s Cardamom
- 1 pinch Stone flower
- 2 no.s Onions (Medium sized)
- 1 handful Corriander leaves
- 1/2 hand ful Mint leaves
Spice powders :
- 1 tsp Red chilli powder
- 2 tsp Corriander powder
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Cumin powder
- 1 tsp Fennel powder
- 1 tsp Black pepper powder
Instructions
- Take clean blender and add the following ingredients to it and blend to a smooth paste – Ginger, garlic, green chillies, cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, stone flower, nutmeg, mace, 1/2 onion, coriander and mint leaves.
- Transfer the ground paste to a bowl and use the same blender to blend the remainder onion (1 and 1/2 onions).
- Wash and soak the seeraga samba rice a few times and soak in 3.75 cups for 30 minutes.
- Heat a pressure pan, add oil and ghee once hot add the ground ginger garlic and spices paste. Sautee in the oil for a good 2-3 minutes until the masalas cook off in the oil.
- Next add in the ground onion paste. Cook for 5 -10 minutes until the onions are cooked well and is slightly browned.
- Add in the spice powders, red chilli powder, corriander powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, fennel seed powder, pepper powder, salt and yoghurt and cook until the oils are separated.
- Add the the cleaned chicken pieces and fold it into the prepared masala paste. Cover and cook for about 20-25 minutes, until the chicken is 90 percent cooked and oil is separated. Stir in between to avoid burning.
- Measure and add water about 3.75 cups (use the water in which the seepage samba rice was soaked), check salt, add in lime/ lemon juice and cover and bring to a boil.
- Add the soaked seeraga samba rice cover and pressure cook for 1 whistle on medium flame and then keep flame on low to medium and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Turn off the flame after 20 minutes and open the pressure cooker once pressure is released fully.
- Genly fluff it using a ladle without breaking rice or chicken, serve with raita and boiled egg.