Thalapakattu Biriyani

“Anyone who’s a chef, who loves food, ultimately knows that all that matters is: ‘Is it good? Does it give you pleasure?” – Anthony Bourdaine

 Another Week and another Biriyani trial. This time it is the super famous Thalapakattu Biriyani. I have had it in India few years ago, but to be honest I do not really remember much. But it is this recipe which got the approving nod so this is the one. ( Till I get my hands on some other version.) 

I have followed this same exact recipe more than 4 times and have come up with different results based on what I did at each step. You get it right ? Same ingredients, same masala but yet different results. That also means cooking the rice to the correct texture is an important step in any biriyani. So stay alert. Again, all four times the biriyani was very much edible, but this time it turned out perfect or so I would like to claim. 

The biriyani rice and meat ratio is different from the usual 1:1. Here, we use more meat and less rice. So the masala flavor stands out and is much stronger than some biriyanis you must be used to. 

Another word of caution, there is a bit of liquid measurement that can look confusing on the first read. Just read again and I hope it is easy to figure out. Cooking the rice to perfection is the trick to any good biriyani. So whatever you do, do not overcook the rice. The rice cooks as it sits, so while it can look undercooked, the resting period mentioned allows the rice to absorb the water and puff up. Just believe in the process and keep the faith. 

Here is the recipe. My source was from here, and I made no changes this time. Followed it to the dot.

Ingredients :

Masala for the Biriyani 

Green Chillies - 5 

Cinnamon Sticks - 2 Inch - 3

Cardamom - 3 

Cloves - 3 

Nutmeg Powder - 1/8th tsp

Mace - 1 small piece

Ginger - 1 large piece - Chopped roughly.  ( 50 gms )

Grind the above into a fine paste. I grind the dry spices separately before adding ginger and green chillies. Keep ready. Add a tiny bit of water to aid the grinding process.

The rice to meat ration varies from the usual 1:1. Here it is 1:1.5. 

Rice - 500 gms - Soaked in water for 30 minutes. 

Chicken with bone - 750 gms. 

Ghee - 3 Tbsp.

Oil - 3 Tbsp.

Garlic - 50 gms crushed - Grind in a mixer and keep ready.

Small Onions - 50 gms - Crushed - Grind in a mixer and keep ready. 

Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp.

Curd - 1/2 Cup

Mint Leaves - 1/2 Cup

Coriander Leaves - 3/4 Cup 

Lime Juice - from 1/2 a Lemon 

Method :

1. Heat the ghee and oil in a deep wide pan. Now, add the masala paste and sauté. Now add the garlic paste and onion paste. Fry on medium flame.

2. Allow this to cook till the raw smell of the masala dissipates. Do not rush this, allow the masala to cook.

3. Add in the chicken and mix well. Add the red chilli powder. Reduce the flame to a simmer, cover and cook. No need to add water.

4. Let the chicken cook till it is done, takes about 15-20 minutes. 

5. Add the yogurt and cook for 5 minutes. The chicken will have some liquid gravy along with it. So, we need to know how much liquid as we have to cook the rice in this.

6. Remove the chicken pieces to another bowl and measure the liquid available. I had about 2 cups of gravy. 

7. The rice needs 4 Cups of  water to cook. The liquid from the chicken came up to 2 cups so I took 2 cups of water. Add the water to the chicken gravy. Add the mint and coriander leaves. 

8. Add the chicken back into the bowl and check for seasoning. Adjust as you see fit. Let it come to a boil.

9. Now, add the drained rice to the liquid. Add in the lime juice. Let it come to a boil. 

10. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5 minutes on medium flame ( Stove mark - 6). Then, open the lid and give it a good mix and simmer on low flame ( Stove mark -3) for 10 minutes. 

11. Uncover and check if the rice is at least 75 percent cooked. Switch off the flame and keep it covered. Do not disturb for the next 20 minutes. The rice absorbs all the liquid and puffs up to perfection during this time. 

12. Serve hot with raita and onions.