Ambur chicken biryani is a specialty of nawabs of arcot who first cooked and made this biryani recipe most popular in southern parts of India, Ambur in Tamil Nadu. What’s special about this biryani is that is is cooked on wood fires and a special variety of short grain rice called seeraga samba rice (jeera samba rice) is used.Â
There are different methods of preparing biryani. If we talk about South Indian chicken biryani recipe types then there are – the most popular Hyderabadi style, Bombay style, Donne Biryani(Karnataka style), arcot biryani that’s Ambur special, thalapakattu biryani from Dindigul region and so many more. The taste of biryani differs according to the type of biryani and it’s preparation. Ambur Biryani is one of the famous biriyani recipes of South India which emerged during the Nawab of Arcot’s regime. Prepared mainly with Jeeraga Samba rice, both chicken and Mutton are used for this. Ambur Biryani is usually served with Brinjal curry (Khattay Baigan) and Cucumber Raitha, which makes your feast a delightful one.
This is Ambur Star Biryani recipe. I got a chance to taste this special yummy biryani 3 year back when we drove from Bangalore to Tamil Nadu. At that point I didn’t know that Star biryani is famous in Ambur and in rest of TN. When we came back to Bangalore I was surprised to see that Ambur Star Biryani had opened it’s first out let in Bangalore on the same day. How co-incidental :). I have always been thinking of preparing this Ambur star biryani recipe but  didn’t know the exact recipe, then while I was on internet searching for some thing else, I accidentally landed on this video posted by Kairali Tv on youtube on Ambur Star Biryani, and it was prepared by the master as they call(chef) of Ambur Star Biryani showing the authentic preparation. I was super excited and I decided to give it a try on Sunday. The biryani ingredients are easily available, I bet you already have them in your pantry.
What’s special about Ambur chicken biryani?
Ambur chicken biryani is never made using basmati rice. If you want authentic Ambur biryani then use only jeera samba rice, the short grain rice. The rice itself makes a huge difference. It’s got a unique and delicious aroma and flavor to it. Texture of the biryani is so different when you interchange jeera samba rice with basmati rice.
Ambur biryani recipe uses dry red chili paste along with the whole spices that goes into making biryani like cloves, cardamom, cinnamon. The spice factor in this biryani is from the red chilies which are soaked in water and then ground. Using fresh ground red chili paste is very important. We do not want to compromise on either flavor or taste, right!
Can I use Mutton instead of chicken to make Ambur mutton Biryani?
Yes. Of course you can. But cooking mutton in dum method and making sure it’s fully cooked is very tricky. But you can do it. Follow this recipe as it is, just add one extra step in the beginning. Cook mutton pieces along with few sliced onions, ginger-garlic paste, salt and turmeric powder in pressure cooker for 2 to 3 whistles (or until mutton is 3/4 cooked). Then add the cooked mutton in place of chicken in the recipe.
Our other most popular biryani recipes
Ambur Chicken Biryani | How to make Ambur Star Biryani
Ingredients
- 500 grams chicken pieces
- 2 cups jeera samba rice
- 2 onions, sliced
- 2 tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
- 1/4 cup thick curd
- 4 tablespoon coriander-mint leaves, finely chopped
- 4 cloves
- 2 inch cinnamon stick
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 cardamom
- salt to taste
- 1/4 cup oil
To be grind-
- 20 nos dried red chilies (adjust quantity as per spice preference)
Instructions
- First soak dried red chilies in water for minimum 30 minutes.
- Then grind it into a thick paste by adding very little water. Keep aside.
- Clean and wash chicken.
- Wash jeera samba rice and soak in water for minimum 30 minutes.
- Boil 3 liters of water in a large dish. Once water start to boil, add 1 tspn of salt and 1 tspn of oil and then add the soaked jeera rice.
- Cook it until it’s 3/4th done. This is very important, do not over cook or fully cook the jeera rice, as we would be making biryani on dum you need the rice to be 3/4 done.
- Once 3/4 cooked, drain all the water and keep the cooked rice aside.
- Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan(I used pressure cooker). Add 1 tspn of curd and mix well. Be careful here the curd will splutter.
- Then add cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves and cardamom and mix.
- Next add 2 tbspns of sliced onions and mix.
- Add ginger-garlic paste and saute until the raw smell of the paste is gone.
- Add chicken and cook until the color of the chicken turns white.
- Then add 1 tbspn of chopped coriander and mint leaves and mix. The aroma of fresh herbs cooking in oil is so amazing.
- Next add chopped onions and tomatoes and cook it until the tomatoes turn soft.
- Add ground red chili paste, salt to taste and mix well.
- Cook for another 5 minutes on medium flame.
- Add remaining curd, mix. Let it cook for another 2 minutes.
- By now the chicken should be 3/4 cooked. Now it’s time to layer and put the biryani on dum cooking.
- I removed half of the chicken gravy mix into another bowl before adding the rice, as I wanted more layers. If you wish you can make just 1 layer.
- Add half of the cooked rice on top of the chicken layer, sprinkle coriander and mint leaves.
- Now add the second layer, by adding the chicken gravy we removed. Level it as much possible.
- Add the remaining rice, level it out.
- Place the dish on low heat, cover it and place a heavy item on top of the plate to trap the steam inside(I know this is not the authentic dum, but at home this is what is convenient)
- Let biryani cook for 20 minutes on dum heat.
- Ambur Star Biryani is ready. The biryani has a different dimension due to the jeera samba rice. The texture and the taste of this biryani is lip smacking good.
- Serve hot with onion raita and boiled egg. HEAVEN!
Notes
- The specialty of Ambur biryani is it's made of Jeera samba rice only. So please try to use jeera samba rice to experience the authentic flavor, texture and taste of this biryani. But if you cannot get jeera samba rice at all, then substitute with basmati rice.
- The biryani does not have any garam masala powder, coriander powder, etc. The spice and the taste comes from red chilie paste. Do adjust the red chilies as per your spice requirement.
- You can see I have not used any water in the biryani. The rice and chicken is cooked separately until 3/4 done and then layered and put it on dum. Moisture released by chicken and the curd used is enough to get the chicken cooked, but if you experience that chicken is drying out and burning, please add few tbspns of water to chicken gravy and cook it, but do not add more water as this will make the biryani soggy and rice would get mashed.
Nanda_Yamini
I tried this arcot briyani recipe it came v well.Thank you sis
jyothirajesh
Good to hear that. (Y)
Jenni
How to check 3/4th cooked jeera rice
jyothirajesh
Use finger test or taste a grain of rice to check – bite into a grain of rice or squeeze it between your thumb and index finger. The rice is done when it is tender and you cannot feel a hard center.
Abraham
Tried, Came out really well. 🙂
jyothirajesh
That is wonderful to know. Thank you for coming back and sharing your feedback 🙂
Lokesh
Hi sister, thanks very much for the recipe. I tried this and all came very well except there was no essence of chicken in the rice as it used to be in start briyani outlet. So I was thinking if we could use chicken stock to get that essence. Please guide
jyothirajesh
Glad you liked the recipe LOkesh. Oh i am surprised that the rice did not have the chicken flavor, cause we put it in dum and that should absorb the flavors. Yes chicken stock can be used too. Do give it a try with chicken stock!
Uma
Thank you for a great recipe! I tried it today and we loved it. What flavor does the yogurt in oil give? Very interesting!
Jyothi Rajesh
Glad you liked it.
Umashankar
Hi tried this it came well. Only thing is when I put for dhum its getting stick in the bottoml
jyothirajesh
If the heat is not low or the pan is not heavy duty pan there are chances that the rice can stick to the bottom. Try placing the pan in which you make biryani on top of a iron tawa for dum cooking
Aparna
I have tried this twice now and it has come really well. Thanks for a great and simple biriyani recipe. Btw, my one doubt it why do we add a spoon of curd at the beginning?
Veera
Hai thank you for the recipe, I tried for two and it came out very well. My wife enjoyed it very much. I am planning to cook this briyani for my family as well, so I would like to know the ingredients quantity for 6 or more.
Thanks in advance for our help. 🙂
jyothirajesh
Thank you for trying the recipe. Glad to hear you liked it.
My proportion of ingredients will serve 3-4. So you can just double my ingredients quantity, well i’m giving you approximation.
Michelle
Hi,
Please tell me how to cook this dish using a pressure cooker. Thanks
jyothirajesh
I used pressure cooker to cook but without putting on the lid (pressure cook). I covered it with a plate and cooked in dum method.
If you are cooking in pressure cooker make sure you use very low flame and cook it slowly. I haven’t tried the actual pressure cooker mode by close the pressure lid, so I don’t know how the texture of the biryani will be.
Raj
Tried this biryani this Sunday, it turned out delicious! Recipe is explained very well and it was so easy for me to follow it. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
jyothirajesh
Thank you for trying the recipe! Glad you liked it!
Srinivas
Hey Jo,
Thanks for the recepe, i am planning to try it but i have a doubt, it may be silly too as i am just now started to practice cooking.
in the last step, placing the dish on low heat means, do i have to keep my stove in Sim level?
jyothirajesh
You can reduce the heat completely low and leave the pan on stove. Or if you have large cast iron pan on which the pot (used to cook biryani) can sit on place the pot on the griddle and simmer
Suresh
Amazing recipe, came out really well!! My wife loved it!!!
jyothirajesh
Thank you very much for sharing your feedback, so glad to hear you guys loved it. Keep trying more recipes
Heidi
What is curd please?
jyothirajesh
Curd is yogurt
Annie
OMG!!! I tried the recipe today for the first time and it came so tasty… My family loves it so much… Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe….
jyothirajesh
So glad you tried and liked this biryani.
Geetha
Hi Jyothi,
Tried this recipe today in Instant pot. It came out really well. Flavour was perfect. Enjoyed the food.
Jyothi Rajesh
So happy to hear that Geetha. Thank you for trying
Zbd
Tried the biriyani today, with beef. Came out amazing!! Excellent steps and tips. Thanks a tonne
Jyothi Rajesh
Glad you liked it
Shalini S
2 cups of rice meaning.. how much in tumblers
Jyothi Rajesh
Use any cup or tumbler for measurement and use it to measure both rice and water.
Deepika
Best ever
Jyothi Rajesh
Glad you liked it. Thank you
shankar das
your recipe simply amazing and useful I make this 2 times in a week my family love this biryani
Jyothi Rajesh
Glad to hear you liked it, thank you for trying