AMBUR BIRYANI
What is it about the temp’s dipping and the cold weather that makes your stomach growl louder than the wind outside ? 😉 It’s been raining nonstop for the past few days, suddenly the temps seem to have taken a nose dive, the wild winds are roaring…that’s when you want your home fires on, right ?? 😉
Woke up with a desire to have hot & spicy biryani…YES! some days are like that, your only thought is food & FOOD ONLY!! Coming from South India, one has many flavors to pick from ,when it comes to Biryani….one just has to decide on the location where it originated & then Viola ! you have it served on a platter, even if it means you have to cook for yourself …..being thousands of miles away . Having tried different recipes from South India, today I planned to try the ‘AMBUR BIRYANI‘.
‘Ambur‘ is a small town located in South India , along the Chennai – Bangalore Highway ( connecting two Southern States), which is well known for it’s flavored Arcot style Biryani.
A favorite spot for travelers traveling either way, a must stop for many, a family tradition for some.The flavored spicy rice preparation called Biryani is supposed to have been brought to India by the Nawabs & Persian Kings & made it’s home in India, in the hearts of it’s people.It’s one of my favorite rice preparations, from the time I can remember clearly .
Why Ambur one might ask,the two main differences in this preparation is unlike the other Biryani’s, Ghee or clarified butter is not used here,freshly made red chilly paste is used instead of Chili powder, which is most commonly used, forever the traditional “dum” cooking is done with firewood in this preparation.

This recipe, I followed the original to the T except for the firewood/”dum” part…. as such I have had a hard time shooing the neighbors every time the smoke alarm goes off ,any time I cook Indian, which is almost every day 😉 I did not want to start a bonfire & the smoke alarm at the same time grin emoticon grin emoticon…so I resorted to stove top cooking & ended with a flavorful dish, indeed.Nothing to chase away the oncoming Winter blues, like the spicy aroma that fills your home & your winter coats alike…Oh, the stories they will tell, to every passer by 🙂

Some of the links to my published blog post recipes using mint leaves are listed below for your interest :
- https://stirringmyspicysoul.com/watermelon-feta-mint-salad/
- https://stirringmyspicysoul.com/hyderabadi-dum-chicken-biryani/
- https://stirringmyspicysoul.com/ambur-biryani/
- https://stirringmyspicysoul.com/mint-nchicken/
- https://stirringmyspicysoul.com/chicken-biryani-south-indian-dindigul-thalappakattu/
- https://stirringmyspicysoul.com/mushroom-biryani/
- https://stirringmyspicysoul.com/prawn-mint-pulao/
- https://stirringmyspicysoul.com/mint-leaves-how-to-pick-store-and-use-them/
Hi. Dr. Maya. Beautifully Explained. Loved the Synopsis. Thks for the recipes & waiting for more to come. Take care 🙂
Thank you, Vanita Amin, for your kind and encouraging words, so appreciate you taking the time, to visit my blog and read my posts.Please don’t forget to revisit often, I would love to hear your feedback 🙂