Dindigul-Style Chicken Biryani (Seeraga Samba)

Dindigul and Ambur biryanis don't use basmati at all – they use seeraga samba, a tiny short-grain rice with a beautiful aroma that soaks up masala. The chicken is cooked in a green paste of mint, coriander, ginger, garlic and green chilli with whole spices and plenty of black pepper.

Video by Cookd on YouTube. Our recipe below is our own home-style version, written in our own words – quantities and steps may differ from the video.

• Serves 4
• Prep 30 min
• Marinate 60 min
• Cook 60 min
• gluten-free · Spicy
• Famous in Tamil Nadu

Ingredients

• 400 g seeraga samba rice, washed and soaked 20 minutes
• 800 g chicken on the bone, in pieces
• 150 g yogurt
• 1 tsp salt + 1½ tsp for the rice
• For the green paste: 1 handful mint, 1 handful coriander, 4 green chillies, 4 cm ginger, 10 garlic cloves, 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 4 tbsp oil + 3 tbsp ghee
• 2 bay leaves, 4 cloves, 4 green cardamom, 4 cm cinnamon, 1 star anise
• 3 onions, sliced
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• ½ tsp turmeric
• juice of 1 lemon
• 750 ml water

Method

1. Grind the green paste ingredients. Marinate the chicken with half the paste, yogurt, turmeric and salt for 1 hour.
2. In a heavy pot heat oil and ghee, fry the whole spices, then the onions until golden.
3. Add the remaining green paste, tomatoes and chilli powder and cook until soft. Add the chicken with its marinade and cook 15 minutes.
4. Add water, salt for the rice and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add the drained rice, stir once, and cook on medium heat until the water level reaches the rice.
5. Cover tightly (seal the lid with a cloth or dough) and cook on the lowest heat for 15–20 minutes. Rest 10 minutes, fluff gently and serve with onion raita and brinjal curry.

Tip: Seeraga samba absorbs less water than basmati – about 1:1.8 is right.

Shop the ingredients

Everything you need for this recipe is in stock at Farmah’s – order online or pick it up at Annenstraße 41, Graz.