Thalassery chicken biryani
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A Malabar biryani made with short-grained, fragrant kaima (jeerakasala) rice and a mildly spiced chicken masala, layered and sealed with dum.
Region: Kerala, Thalassery and the Malabar coastOccasion: Weddings, Eid and celebrationsTime: 2 hrServes: 6Non-vegetarian
Ingredients
- 3 cups kaima (jeerakasala) rice, washed and drained
- 1 kg chicken, in pieces
- 4 onions, thinly sliced; ½ cup ghee; cashews and raisins
- 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, 6 green chillies crushed, 2 tomatoes
- ½ cup curd, juice of 1 lemon, ½ tsp turmeric, 2 tsp biryani masala
- A handful each of mint and coriander leaves
- Cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaf; salt
Method
- Fry the onions in ghee until deep golden; fry the cashews and raisins. Keep aside.
- In the same ghee, cook the ginger-garlic, chillies and tomatoes, then add the chicken, curd, turmeric, biryani masala, salt and half the fried onions. Cook until the chicken is tender and the masala thick.
- In another pan, heat a little ghee, fry the whole spices, add the rice and stir, then add water (about 1½ times the rice) and salt and cook until just done.
- Layer the rice over the chicken masala with fried onions, mint, coriander, cashews, raisins and lemon juice.
- Seal the pot with a lid and dough or foil and cook on very low heat (dum) for 20 minutes. Mix gently and serve with raita and pickle.
History
The Mappila community of the Malabar coast developed its own style of biryani, using the small-grained local kaima rice instead of long-grained basmati.
Significance
Thalassery biryani is the centrepiece of Malabar weddings and Eid feasts and is one of the best-known dishes of north Kerala.