Dindigul is famous for halwa and also for thalappakatti biryani. Nowadays we have various types of biryani available in the market. Ambur and thalappakatti are the most well-known biryani in Tamil Nadu. We can easily get thalappakatti biryani in Tamil Nadu since they have numerous branches all over Tamil Nadu. It was not the same story a few years back, we can’t find thalappakatti biryani in any city except Dindigul.
Thalappakatti is famous for both chicken and mutton Biryani. I am very fond of Chicken biryani because chicken is my favourite meat compare to mutton/lamb. I learnt this recipe from a TV show where the owner of thalappakatti hotel showed us the original recipe and the procedure of how they cook their chicken biryani.
Seeraga Samba (Jeera Samba) rice is popularly used in this biryani but if you can’t find this rice then use basmathi rice. Check out our Thalappakatti Mutton Biryani recipe.
Check out the video recipe here:
Tips to make perfect Thalappakatti Chicken Biryani:
Here is the detailed recipe:
Wash and soak 2 cups of seeraga samba rice. Take 15 garlic cloves and 15 to 20 shallots in a blender and make a coarse paste without adding water and set it aside.
Now take a blender again, add 7 to 8 green chillies, 1 mace, 3 small cinnamon sticks, 3 cloves, 3 cardamoms, 4 small ginger pieces and grind it to a smooth paste by adding little water.
Take a pan, add ½ cup oil and 3 tbsp ghee,
add both onion paste and garam masala paste and saute in the oil for 8 to 10 minutes to remove the raw smell.
Then add 700 gms chicken pieces, mix and saute well with the masala.
Once the chicken is mixed well with the masala, add 1 tsp chilli powder
Salt to taste and mix well.
Mix well, cover and cook for 10 to 12 minutes. Open in between and give it a mix to avoid burning. After 10 to 12 minutes, add ½ cup curd,
½ mint leaves, ½ coriander leaves and mix well.
Once everything is mixed well, add 2 cups of water. I always add rice and water in the equal quantity but you can adjust according to your rice.
Cover and cook for 8 minutes.
Water starts to boil in 8 minutes, now add washed and soaked rice.
Mix well. Adjust salt and add 3 tbsp lemon juice and mix well.
Cover and cook till the rice absorb all the water. Once the rice absorbed the water
Cover the pan with foil and cook on low flame for 10 minutes. Now open the pan, fluff the rice slowly without breaking.
Enjoy Thalappakatti Chicken Biryani with raita and Thalappakatti Biryani Gravy.
Seeraga samba rice cooked with Indian spices, Chicken and other basic masala to make a flavourful rice recipe which is very famous in Dindigul.
Ingredients
Method
Notes
1. Try to use seeraga samba rice for the original taste and flavour.
2. Use shallots for traditional taste.
3. Do not use tomato in this recipe.
4. Saute onion paste and garam masala paste well in the oil to remove raw smell.
5. Use chicken with bone.
6. You can make the same recipe using pressure cooker. Follow the same procedure and cook for two whistles.
7. I always use rice and water in the equal quantity, but you can adjust according to your rice.