The Buhari hotel is a nostalgia for everyone in Chennai aka Madras. The 50’s restaurant has stood its time and is still popular among the locals. The faint orangish red colour biryani is made with basmati rice. Chennai style chicken biryani is also called as the vadicha biryani. The rice is parboiled till half done, mixed with the chicken gravy and finished on dum. This is my take on the Chennai style biryani.
Here are the things you can buy online for making this biryani Le Creuset Dutch Oven 5.5 qt https://amzn.to/3OOp5L3 Dosa Griddle https://amzn.to/3bFt1jf Heavy Duty Indian Mixie https://amzn.to/3GptNKD Single Piece Teak Wood Chopping Board https://amzn.to/3gxkG08 Aged Basmati Rice https://amzn.to/3s2Vjsp Basmati Rice https://amzn.to/3IUeD1S
Main Ingredients
2 tablespoon ghee 3 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 small piece cinnamon (cassia) 4 cloves 4 cardamom 5 green chillies, sliced 1.5 cup onion, sliced 1 pod garlic 2 inch ginger 1 tomato, chopped 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder 1 teaspoon red chilli powder 2 tablespoon mint leaves, chopped 2 tablespoon coriander leaves, chopped 750 grams chicken bone-in 1/3 cup plain curd 1/2 cup water 1/2 of a lime, juiced
For Boiling Rice
3 litres water 1 tablespoon salt 1.5 cups basmati rice
Heavy duty pan is preferred for making this biryani. I am using my trusty dutch oven today for making this recipe. Add in a combination of ghee and oil to the pan. Any vegetable oil will work fine for this recipe. Add in the whole spices. a small piece of cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. Add in the sliced green chillies. Saute for a few seconds. Add in the sliced onions. Saute the onions for a good 6-8 minutes. The onions need to be sauteed well in oil till the onions are golden in colour. It’s important to take the onions to the golden colour as the flavour of caramelised onions is important for this biryani. The onions should be golden and caramelised after about 7-8 minutes. Add in the ginger garlic paste. Add in the chopped tomatoes. I have used just one big tomato for this recipe. Add in the salt. The rice will be cooked separately. So we are adding salt only for cooking the gravy at this stage. We can always add more if need be at a later stage. Add in the turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Saute for a few minutes. The tomatoes should become mushy and the mixture should look almost dry. Streaks of oil will start to appear once dry. At this stage, add in the mint leaves and the coriander leaves. Use only the leafy part and discard the stems. Saute for a minute. Add in the chicken. Mix well to combine. Add in the plain curd. Add in the water and mix well to combine. Cover the pan with a lid and cook on a low flame for 15 minutes. Do not add any extra water. The chicken will render liquid while cooking. Along with the little water we added, it should be enough to cook the chicken. Cook on a low flame so it does not scorch at the bottom. While the chicken is cooking, we will get the rice ready. Boil about three to four litres of water. Add in a tablespoon of salt to the water. When the water is boiling, add in the rice. Its better if rice is soaked for 15-20 minutes. After adding the rice, cook for 5-7 minutes till the rice is half done. The rice should easily break when pressed but still hold firm. At this stage, drain the water and set aside. The rice will continue to cook on the residual heat. Once the chicken is cooked and ready, add in the rice to the pan. Mix well to combine. The little gravy left behind from the chicken will nicely coat the rice. Add the juice of half a lime. This is optional. If the curd is sour, you can skip the lime. Now we will put the biryani on dum. Place a heavy dosa tawa on a low flame. Place the biryani pot on top of the dosa tawa. Cover the lid of the pot with a cloth and then place the lid on top. The cloth will keep the steam by insulating it inside. Cook on a low flame for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes our fluffy chicken biryani is ready to serve.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 10m
- Cook Time: 40m
Main Ingredients
2 tablespoon ghee 3 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 small piece cinnamon (cassia) 4 cloves 4 cardamom 5 green chillies, sliced 1.5 cup onion, sliced 1 pod garlic 2 inch ginger 1 tomato, chopped 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder 1 teaspoon red chilli powder 2 tablespoon mint leaves, chopped 2 tablespoon coriander leaves, chopped 750 grams chicken bone-in 1/3 cup plain curd 1/2 cup water 1/2 of a lime, juiced
For Boiling Rice
3 litres water 1 tablespoon salt 1.5 cups basmati rice
Heavy duty pan is preferred for making this biryani. I am using my trusty dutch oven today for making this recipe. Add in a combination of ghee and oil to the pan. Any vegetable oil will work fine for this recipe. Add in the whole spices. a small piece of cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. Add in the sliced green chillies. Saute for a few seconds. Add in the sliced onions. Saute the onions for a good 6-8 minutes. The onions need to be sauteed well in oil till the onions are golden in colour. It’s important to take the onions to the golden colour as the flavour of caramelised onions is important for this biryani. The onions should be golden and caramelised after about 7-8 minutes. Add in the ginger garlic paste. Add in the chopped tomatoes. I have used just one big tomato for this recipe. Add in the salt. The rice will be cooked separately. So we are adding salt only for cooking the gravy at this stage. We can always add more if need be at a later stage. Add in the turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Saute for a few minutes. The tomatoes should become mushy and the mixture should look almost dry. Streaks of oil will start to appear once dry. At this stage, add in the mint leaves and the coriander leaves. Use only the leafy part and discard the stems. Saute for a minute. Add in the chicken. Mix well to combine. Add in the plain curd. Add in the water and mix well to combine. Cover the pan with a lid and cook on a low flame for 15 minutes. Do not add any extra water. The chicken will render liquid while cooking. Along with the little water we added, it should be enough to cook the chicken. Cook on a low flame so it does not scorch at the bottom. While the chicken is cooking, we will get the rice ready. Boil about three to four litres of water. Add in a tablespoon of salt to the water. When the water is boiling, add in the rice. Its better if rice is soaked for 15-20 minutes. After adding the rice, cook for 5-7 minutes till the rice is half done. The rice should easily break when pressed but still hold firm. At this stage, drain the water and set aside. The rice will continue to cook on the residual heat. Once the chicken is cooked and ready, add in the rice to the pan. Mix well to combine. The little gravy left behind from the chicken will nicely coat the rice. Add the juice of half a lime. This is optional. If the curd is sour, you can skip the lime. Now we will put the biryani on dum. Place a heavy dosa tawa on a low flame. Place the biryani pot on top of the dosa tawa. Cover the lid of the pot with a cloth and then place the lid on top. The cloth will keep the steam by insulating it inside. Cook on a low flame for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes our fluffy chicken biryani is ready to serve.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 10m
- Cook Time: 40m
Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/buhari-chicken-biryani-recipe/
Thakkali Vellai Kuruma | Tomato White Kurma For Idli and Dosai | Tiffin Kuruma Recipe | South Indian
Here is a recipe for tiffin kurma that goes as a perfect side dish for idli, dosai, appam, idiyappam and poori. This vellai kuruma is a very rich side dish and is very tasty.
Here are the things you can buy online for making this recipe Cold Pressed Natural Virgin Coconut Oil https://amzn.to/3JcsMr8 Panasonic Mixie https://amzn.to/2YnuS2P Carote Non Stick Kadai https://amzn.to/3Agdj88 Hard Anodized Small Tadka Pan https://amzn.to/3NxjVSN Single Piece Teak Wood Chopping Board https://amzn.to/3gxkG08
Here is the video of how to make Thakkali Vellai Kuruma Recipe
Main Ingredients
1 tablespoon coconut oil 2 cloves 2 cardamom 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 sprig curry leaves 1 tablespoon minced ginger 2 green chillies, chopped 5 shallots, sliced 3 tomatoes, cut into chunks 1 teaspoon salt 2 sprigs mint leaves 2 sprigs coriander leaves 1/4 teaspoon sugar 1.5 cup water (divided)
For Kuruma Paste
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds 4 green chillies 1/3 cup fresh shredded coconut 15 cashews 1 tablespoon fried gram (pottukadalai) 1/2 cup warm water
Tempering the Kurma
2 teaspoon coconut oil 2 shallots, sliced 1 sprig curry leaves 1/4 teaspoon black pepper powder
Heat coconut oil in a pan. Coconut oil is preferred for making this recipe. Add in a couple of cloves and a couple of cardamom to the hot oil. Add in some cumin seeds, curry leaves, minced ginger, chopped green chillies – use more or less chillies according to your taste and in the sliced shallots. Saute everything for a few minutes for the shallots to become soft. Cut the tomatoes into big chunks. Cut each tomato into 8 pieces and add to the pan. Country tomatoes give a nice taste to the kuruma. Ripe tomatoes are preferred. Add in the salt and mix well to combine. Now reduce the flame of the stove to low and cover the pan with a lid. Let the tomatoes cook for about five minutes. Make sure to saute once a while so they do not scorch at the bottom. The tomatoes should become mushy after the said time. Once the tomatoes are cooked and soft, add in a little mint leaves and the coriander leaves. Do not use the stem. Use only the leaf part. Mix well to combine and saute for a minute. In the meantime, let’s make a masala paste. Take a small chutney jar and add in the fennel seeds, Green chillies – this kuruma tastes better when it’s slightly spicy. I have used about four chillies but you can always use more or less according to what your family prefers. Add in the fresh shredded coconut, cashew nuts – cashews give a smooth texture and richness to the kuruma and finally add some pottukadalai – fried gram to the mixie. The fried gram gives little body and makes the kuruma thick. Add only a little fried gram as adding too much will make the kuruma feel doughy. Add warm water and grind to a smooth paste. Warm water will help to grind the cashews to a smooth texture. You can also soak the cashews and then grind if you have the time. Make sure to grind the paste to a smooth consistency. Add the prepared paste to our cooked tomato mixture. Wash the mixie with water and add back to the pan as you do not want to waste the masala sitting in the mixie jar. Mix well to combine. Add in more water as the kuruma will thicken up as it cooks. After adding the water, mix well to combine. Add a little sugar to balance the flavours. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for five minutes. The kuruma might foam a little. So make sure to mix well once a while so it does not overflow from the pan. If the kuruma is too thick while cooking, add little hot water to adjust the texture. The kuruma is ready when it has boiled for the said five minutes. Now, let’s make a quick tempering for the vellai kuruma. Take a small tempering kadai and add in the coconut oil. Add in the sliced shallots and the curry leaves. Roast the shallots in oil till they become crisp and golden. At this stage, switch off the flame and add in a little black pepper powder. Let the black pepper powder bloom in the hot oil. Add this tempering to our kuruma. Our fantastic thakkali vellai kuruma is ready. It goes really well with all South Indian breakfast / tiffin items.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 10m
- Cook Time: 20m
