Ambur Chicken Biryani | Ambur Special Biryani

Ambur Chicken  Biryani | Ambur Special Biryani is  a famous  biryani like Dindigul Thalappakatti Biryani  in  Southern India. The biryani is named after a place called ‘Ambur’  in Vellore District of Tamil Nadu.   This special biryani was first made during  the reign of Nawabs of Arcot in Vellore. You can see a lot of biryani stalls in Ambur and hence who ever crosses this place won’t  miss the opportunity of tasting this yummy biryani.

Now, about ambur chicken biryani, this biryani is usually made with seeraga samba rice. Another highlight in this biryani is using  freshly ground chilli paste for spicing up the biryani. But I have used chilli powder  instead of chilli paste and the taste was really awesome. I’m sure one who tastes this biryani won’t deny this fact.  
I usually prepare this biryani  in pressure cooker and I found no difference between dum biryani and pressure cooker biryani.  

This  recipe is  for Ambur Chicken Biryani using pressure cooker.

Ingredients:

• Seeraga samba rice – 2 cups
• Chicken – ½  Kg
• Onion (Big) – 3 Nos (chopped lengthwise)
• Tomato – 1 No.(chopped)
• Green chilli – 3 Nos.
• Curd – 1 cup
• Ginger, garlic paste – 2 tbs
• Chilli powder – 2 tbs
• Turmeric powder -1 tsp
• Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander leaves (finely chopped) – ¼ cup
• Mint leaves (finely chopped) – ½ cup
• Salt to taste

For seasoning:

• Bay leaf – 1 No.
• Cinnamon – 1 inch piece
• Kal paasi – 2 Nos
• Cloves – 2 Nos
• Cardamom  - 2 Nos.
• Fennel seeds – 1 tbsp
• Oil -4 tbs
• Ghee – 1 tsp (optional)

Method:

1. Wash chicken very well in running water , cut it to required size.
2. Marinate the chicken pieces with ½ cup curd, 1 tsp chilli powder & turmeric powder for 30 minutes.
3. Take a pressure cooker, pour the oil and wait till the oil gets heated. Add the items given under “seasoning” one by one and wait until all these splutter to get the aroma from the seasoning.
4. Add half the quantity of coriander leaves & mint leaves and sauté till nice aroma comes.
5. Add onion and Green chilli (just break into 2 or 3) and sauté well until the onion becomes translucent.
6. Add ginger garlic paste and sauté till it gets cooked well.
7. Add finely chopped tomato and add some salt so that the tomato will get cooked easily and sauté till the tomato gets smashed well.
8. Then add  the remaining chilli powder & garam masala powder and sauté till the oil oozes  out from the masala. Next, add the balance curd curd and sauté well until the mixture gets glossy appearance.
9. Then  add the marinated chicken along with the marinade, sauté well. 
10. Add required salt  and  2 cups of water, close the lid and wait for  2 whistles and 5 minutes in simmer.
11. In the mean time, wash the seeraga samba rice and leave it as such after draining the water. It is sufficient if we do this part before 10 minutes of making biryani.
12. Now open the pressure cooker, drain the chicken pieces and measure the gravy, add water so that the gravy+water =4 cups and keep it aside.
13. In a separate pressure pan, add ghee/oil, sauté rice along with the balance coriander, mint leaves and the cooked chicken pieces.
14. Then add gravy+water (4 cups) and  needed salt. You can check for spice & salt  at this stage and you can add if needed. Stir well and close the lid. Wait for 1 whistle, then simmer the flame for 3 minutes. Open the cooker after releasing the pressure slowly. Then follow the same procedure as we have done for all other Biryani Recipes.

Your delicious, hot, spicy  Ambur Chicken Biryani is ready to serve! I have served the biryani with onion raita and Egg Curry!!

Note:

• You can prepare this biryani with basmati rice also with same ingredients & water measurements.
• Use the fresh curd with the above measurement; if you are using a sour curd, reduce the quantity accordingly.

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