The fragrance and flavour of ambur biryani from Ambur, a town in Tamil Nadu, India, earned it much fame. What makes its preparation special and rich in taste has made it popular among food lovers. Ambur biryani is an amalgamation of short-grain rice, tender marinated meat, and aromatic spices, giving it a unique place in the Biryani family. Pieces of meat - often mutton or chicken - are marinated in yoghurt, spices, and green chillies. This makes the meat tender and imparts robust flavours. Rice, likewise, is boiled until almost done and layered with the marinated meat into a heavy-bottomed pot. At the same time that the rice is cooking, it absorbs the flavours of the meat. What distinguishes the ambur biryani recipe from its other counterparts is the method of cooking itself. This uses the "dum" technique, where the pot is sealed in such a manner that no steam escapes, and therefore, it absorbs all the aromatic flavours that have coated it. Quite often, the cost of saffron and ghee is added to the sumptuous richness of the dish. The recipe of Ambur biryani is not meant to be relished with raita or spicy gravy but sure to be a treat for both the festival and the family meal. This delight of biryani is something to be savoured, adorning taste and aroma. Try out the authentic ambur biryani, which dived into Tamil Nadu's culinary legacy and is so well kept!

• 500 gms chicken
• 1 1/2 cup seeraga samba rice
• 3 tbsp oil
• Cinnamon stick
• 8-10 cloves
• 8-10 green cardamom pods
• 2 tbsp onion
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 1 tbsp ginger paste
• Coriander leaves
• 8-10 red chilli
• 1/2 cup onion
• 1/4 cup tomatoes
• 1 1/2 tbsp curd
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Mint

• To make this flavourful, aromatic ambur biryani using extraordinary seeraga samba rice. Start by getting half a kilogram of chicken, which is about 500 gms, and 1 1/2 cups of this small grain, fragrant seeraga samba rice.
• Before cooking, it is also better if the rice is washed adequately under running water until the water is clear and then soaked in water for about 20 minutes.
• You can start preparing other ingredients while waiting for the rice to soak for about an hour. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a heavy-bottomed pan or pressure cooker over medium heat. Add whole spices: cinnamon sticks about 4 inches in length, 8-10 cloves, 8-10 green cardamoms.
• Whole spices infused the oil with their aromas so that this is the base of the very flavour in biryani.
• Let them splutter and emit their fragrance for a minute.
• Add sliced onions into the pan and saut until golden brown. Now, add one tablespoon of garlic paste and ginger paste each.
• Saut for another minute until the raw aroma of the ginger and garlic fades. These would tenderise the chicken.
• Now add the pieces of chicken to the pan, and with medium heat, brown them for about 5-7 minutes, turning them around occasionally, and ensure they get lightly browned on all sides.
• After browning the chicken, it is time to add some chopped herbs.
• Add a handful of finely chopped coriander leaves and mix well with the chicken.
• This adds a fresh, earthy flavour to the biryani.
• Meanwhile, deseed 6 to 8 red chillies and soak them in water for about 10 minutes.
• Mix the softened paste into a fine paste.
• The red chilli paste needs to be mixed into the chicken quantity with about two tablespoons.
• Stir well so the chicken absorbs the heat and spice from the chillies.
• Once the chili paste is applied to the chicken, add 1/2 cup of thinly sliced onions and ¼ cup of deseeded and sliced tomatoes, which would roughly amount to the quantity of one medium-sized tomato.
• The tomato should be pretty ripe, but not sour, as sour tomatoes somehow can unsettle the balance of this biryani.
• Stir-fry the onions and tomatoes with the chicken until the onions become soft and the tomatoes disintegrate into a gravy consistency. Add to the chicken mixture 1 1/2 tablespoons of curd.
• This wondrous dairy item is added here so that the meat becomes tenderised further, also giving a subtle creaminess to the dish.
• This is followed by adding one tablespoon of lemon juice, which introduces a small amount of acidity and brings the spices together, making the flavour of the chicken much more poignant.
• Add a handful of finely chopped mint leaves and another handful of coriander leaves to the pan. Mint gives a refreshing flavour of flavourous notes, while the earthy aroma of coriander complements that.
• Drain the soaked seeraga samba rice add it to the pan and mix it gently with the chicken and spice mixture.
• Pour enough water, around 2 1/2 or 3 cups for every 1 1/2 cups of rice, and bring to a boil. Once you get that boiled, reduce the heat then cover with a lid and continue cooking till all the water is evaporated and the chicken is well cooked. Once the biryani is cooked, fluff the rice with a fork quite lightly so that the grains don't clump together. Serve hot and add some fresh coriander leaves if you desire. Try out this delicious recipe of ambur biryani that's made using seeraga samba rice. Serve it with some raita or a simple salad for it to complete the meal.