Chicken Biryani Dindigul Thalappakatti Style ~ Step by Step | Weekend Cooking

There is always a strange feeling getting back to things you haven't been doing for a while. Like not updating this space can easily be one of it. I almost had to remind myself that it's been almost half a month past and there has been no updates. Though it wasn't the lack of dishes. 

As I have said many times, getting Biryani recipe always excites me no end. Couple of weeks back, when Konda had visited her friend's birthday party, she came home with a packed Chicken biryani. Kids loved it and I had to know how it was made. I called up her friend's mom right away and came to know they hail from Dindigul and this was one of the many varieties she prepares. Now that got me really hooked and asked her if she would share the recipe with me. She was such a sweet lady to do it right away. I ended up making this after couple of days and boy, everybody loved it!

I could easily say this looks exactly like how they serve as Thalappakatti Biryani, only difference being I didn't use the Seeraga Samba Rice for the biryani. All Non Veg biriyanis in south use Seeraga Samba Rice and I guess the taste almost goes with that. Anyway having arrived with yet another Chicken Biryani that I can make again, I was content.

I made this during Sunday lunch and had paired it with Mutton Semi Gravy, Chicken Legs Gravy and X Chicken Fry.

Chicken Biryani

Chicken Biryani Step by Step Pictures

Ingredients Needed

For boiling chicken

Chicken - 3/4 Kg
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder a pinch
Curds - 2 tsp

Pressure cook without adding water for 2 -3 whistles. Once done, allow the pressure to fall

For the Masala Paste

Pearl Onions - handful
Mint Leaves - handful tightly packed
Coriander leaves handful tightly packed.
Green chillies -  3 long


Whole Spices

Cloves - 3
Cinnamon 2"
Cardamon -2
Bay Leaf - 1 long

For the Rice

Rice - 3 cups
Onions - 2 medium
Tomato - 1 big
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Green Chilies - 2
Oil - 1/2 cup
Coconut Milk, thick - 2 & 1/2 cups
Water - 3 cups
Salt to taste (remember you added in chicken already)
Lemon Juice - 1 tsp

How to make the chicken biryani

Wash and cut chicken, drain well. In a pressure cooker, take the chicken along with salt, turmeric and curds. Pressure cook for couple of whistles. Once done, allow the pressure to fall down.

Extract the coconut milk and keep it ready.

In another pressure Cooker, heat oil, add all the wholes spices. Let the flavours come out.

Then add the onion julienne, green chilies, followed by the ginger garlic paste, saute well. Add chopped tomatoes and saute well. Once the tomatoes get soft, add the ground masala to it and cook well till the oil comes out.

Now add the drained chicken and saute well to make sure the chicken coated with masala. Add coconut milk, water and adjust spice.

Add drained rice and bring to boil. Cover with lid and cook for 1 whistle. Simmer completely and cook for 10 mins.

Wait for the pressure to fall, fluff the rice well and transfer to a non stick pan, grease the bottom with ghee, spread the rice and cover with thick lid and dum for 15 mins.

Remove and finally add the lemon juice.

Serve with Onion Raitha or chicken gravy.

Notes:

There are couple of ways of making this biryani. You can half cook the rice and add it at the last stage. Cook both separately and dum the whole process.

Cooking in pressure cooker was much easier, only cautious thing you have to remember is add the salt at different stages and adding less water than required for the rice to be separate and grainy.

Always fluff and never mix too much.

Other Chicken Recipes
Other Biryani Recipes

Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani | Chicken Biryani Pressure Cooker Method

While planning for the weekend cooking, I thought I would make something new and asked Hubby dear what he wanted. He remembered his Aunt, who is a wonderful cook and wanted me to ask her for ideas. She was the one who shared the Fried Keema Balls, Keema Kofta Curry when we had gone to my SIL's place.  I called her up to know if she knows a newer version of biryanis, she was all praise of her daughter who lives in Hyderabad and asked me to talk to her. Well finally it lead me talking to her daughter who shared this Hyderabadi Style Chicken Biryani.

I specifically asked her if there was a said thing that tomatoes are not added in Hyderabadi Biryani. She said they make it both wise, with tomatoes and without and also in Dum Style and in regular cooking method. The procedure is quite long, the end result though makes it all worth is what she said. I set up making it and ended up making in Pressure cooker.

I was so surprised when Konda and Peddu loved this biryani so much. Konda never prefers Biryanis and it was a real treat that I have finally have something that she likes so much. So this joins yet another array of biryanis that has to be noted down.

I made this in pressure cooker and you got to be really careful about the water as you add water in couple of steps and I ended up using another method which takes care of excess water as well. I was told the specialty in this biryani is the amount of onions added, so much onions are added that it gives a different taste and texture all together. As with the Mutton Biryani that was shared by our Muslim Friend, this biryani uses Methi leaves as well. Maybe someday I will try out a vegetarian version of this and taste it myself!

 

Ingredients Needed:

For the Marinade:

Chicken  1 Kg

Curds - 1/2 cup

Ginger Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder a pinch

Salt - 1/2 tsp

For the Biryani

Rice - 3 cups

Cloves - 4

Cinnamon - 2"

Cardamon - 3 -4

Bayleaf - 2

Biryani Mogga - 2

Onions - 4 -5 big

Tomatoes - 2 -3 big

Green chilies - 5 -6 long

Coriander leaves - 1 tightly packed cup

Mint leaves - 1 tightly packed cup

Fresh Fenugreek / Methi leaves - 1 tightly packed cup *(Refer notes)

Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Red chili powder - 1 & 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 & 1/2 tsp

Roasted Cumin powder - 1 tsp

Dry Coconut powder / Cashew powder - 2 tsp

Cloves powder a pinch

Oil - 1/2 cup

Water - 5 cups

Salt to taste

For the garnish

Roasted onions

Roasted cashews

How to make the Biryani in regular pressure cooker method:

Wash and cut the chicken into bite size pieces.

Wash and soak the rice for 15 - 20 mins

In a bowl, marinate along with the ingredients listed for marination for about 30 - 40 mins.

In a pressure cooker, add oil and saute the whole garam masala. Then add onion julienne and saute till they turn colour.

Next add the ginger garlic paste and continue sauteing. Add slit green chilies.

Now add the chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves and Fenugreek leaves. Continue cooking in simmer.

Now add tomatoes, salt and cook till the tomatoes turn soft. Next add the chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder.

Cook for 10 mins, till the oil comes out on the sides. Make sure you don't let the bottom brown.

Add the chicken marinade along with the liquid. Cook till the all the moisture is evaporated. When all the water is evaporated, add the coconut powder. Mix everything well.

Drain the water from the rice and add to the pan. Combine everything well. Add the clove powder, water and adjust salt. Cover with lid and cook for 2 whistles or simmer for 10 mints.

For the garnish, roast the onions to crisp brown along with cashew for final garnish.

By Dum Method:

If you plan to make this biryani in Dum, Cook the rice to half boil and keep it aside after draining the water.

Cook the chicken gravy as per the above method, make sure the chicken gravy is almost dry.

In a thick bottom pan, layer with rice and chicken gravy alternatively and dum for 30 mins in sim over a tawa.

Finally serve with roasted cashews and onions.

I served with Chicken Gravy Athamma style and a plain Onion raitha.

Notes:

I made this biryani in pressure cooker method and though I added much less than the water I would for 3 cups of rice, the biryani turned soft and mushy. So I cooked it only for 2 whistle, and continued cooking in simmer, while having the pressure cooker over the tawa, covered with 4 layers of newspaper. Over the newspaper place a plate that fits it well and then finally place the cooker lid. This way the rice gets cooked evenly and the excess water is absorbed by the paper. End of 15 mins, the biryani turned out correctly done. It wasn't mushy or overcooked. 

Also since you add salt in two different places, please check after adding water. 

As onions are more, it will tend to become little sweet, so you will have to compensate with enough green chilies and red chili powder. This can be adjusted even after added the water at the end stage.

I couldn't lay my hands on fresh methi leaves and used kasuri Methi instead. Maybe this could have been the reason for the slight bitterness that was felt by Athamma, though as always kids didn't know it.

Mutton Curry with Small Onions ~ Step by Step | Weekend Cooking

When I was discussing about making mutton curry with my colleagues, one of them happen to mention that they always make mutton curry both gravy and fried with Pearl Onions or Sambar Onions as we call them. She is from down south and said at her place, they mostly use sambar onions for all non veg dishes. I wanted to try that right away.

I chose to make Mutton Semi gravy dish and used sambar onions for sauteing. It surely gave a very different taste to the entire dish.

 

Mutton Curry with Pearl Onions

 

Ingredients Needed:

Mutton - 1/2 kg
Small Onions - 1 cup
Tomatoes - 2 medium
Curry leaves few
Tumeric powder a pinch
Chili powder - 1 & 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 & 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp

Coconut, Poppy Seeds paste - 2 tbsp
Clove, Cinnamon, Cardamon powder -1 tsp
Mint leaves handful
Coriander leaves handful


How to make the gravy

Wash and cut into small pieces. Drain on a colander

Soak and peel the pearl onions.

Heat a pressure cooker with oil. Add curry leaves, pearl onions. Saute well till they turn brown.

Add the mutton pieces, add turmeric powder, coriander powder, chili powder, salt. Cook on high till the mutton is well coated.

Simmer and cover with lid. Let all the moisture all evaporate.

Add the coconut paste and continue sauting. Now add the mint and coriander leaves. And once it is combined well, add tomatoes.

Add a cup of water. Cover with lid and pressure cook for four whistles.

Once the pressure falls down, cook for couple of mins and serve with Masala Annam.
 

Other Mutton Recipes

Other Rice Recipes