Star Biryani has spread its wings to include Chennai and Bengaluru and has also spawned a host of clones who all claim to be the best in Ambur. It certainly doesn’t make things easy for road trippers on NH4 (that also connects Chennai with Bengaluru). Some Ambur regulars swear by the more modest Rahmaniya hotel, one of the three establishments that Star Biryani manages in Ambur but most locals will tell you that the best biryani in Ambur is not served in restaurants but at homes and weddings.
Years after we passed out of school, one of my friends – a leading footwear exporter from Ambur, offered to organise biryani from Ambur for one of our reunions. It was the best biryani and the most flavourful I’ve tasted; ever. I went back to him to put me in touch with some of his cooks for a recipe and also dope on what makes Ambur Biryani special.
Mukarram who has been cooking at Ambur weddings for a few years believes it’s the unique cooking style – where the rice and meat are cooked separately before bringing them together in a covered vessel in traditional ‘dum’ style. There are varying theories about the type of rice that an authentic Ambur Biryani needs to be crafted with. While the popular notion points to the small grain ‘Seeraga samba’ rice, quite a few cooks like Iqbal tell me that Basmati rice also works equally well. Some cooks believe that the unique ‘dum’ cooking style takes the rice out of the equation.
The other interesting Ambur Biryani recipe tweaks include curd and mint leaves. Ambur Biryani might be spicier than its Lucknowi counterpart and yet it’s usually eaten with Kathirikai Pachadi (locals also call this Khattay Baingan), a spicy accompaniment made with aubergine.
Almost every cook I spoke to was happy to share his Ambur Biryani recipe confident that the typical home serving for a family of four can’t compete with the large scale biryanis they prepare in huge utensils over wood fires. Ambur Biryani might be synonymous with mutton but the chicken and beef versions are quite common too.
Written by Rohit
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