Kongunadu vellai biryani is a very subtle biryani with the predominant aroma of ground spices and green chillies. Green chillies are ground to a paste and added for the heat. Green chillies are also added whole so the flavour gets in the rice sans the heat. Coconut milk makes the biryani luscious and rich in every mouthful. The fragrant short-grained seeraga samba rice is the preferred rice for making this recipe.
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Here is the video of how to make Vellai Biryani Print
For the biryani masala paste
1/4 cup sambar onions – shallots 1 pod garlic 1 -inch piece of ginger roughly chopped 8 green chillies 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 1 -inch piece cinnamon – cassia 1/2 piece star anise 3 cloves 2 cardamom 1 pinch of kalpasi 2 tablespoon water
Other ingredients
2 tablespoons peanut oil 2 tablespoons ghee 2 bay leaves 2 maratti moggu 1 -inch piece cinnamon – cassia 1 onion finely sliced ( 1/4 cup ) 2 tomatoes chopped 2 teaspoon salt 8 green chillies (keep whole) 1/4 cup coriander leaves, chopped 1/4 cup mint leaves, chopped 1 lime, juiced 750 grams chicken thigh meat (add up to 1 kilogram) 2 cups seeraga samba rice 1/2 cup thick coconut milk 1.5 cups water (divided)
Take a small mixie jar and add in the Indian sambar onion shallots, garlic, ginger, green chillies, fennel seeds, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, cardamom, kalpasi, and couple of tablespoons of water. Grind everything to a smooth paste. The paste should be ground fine. Set aside. Take a pressure cooker and add in the oil and the ghee. Add in the bay leaves, maratti moggu, a small piece of cinnamon, and the sliced onions. Saute for a few minutes till the onions are soft. No need to brown the onions for this recipe. Add in the sliced tomatoes and the ground paste, and the salt. Mix well to combine. Cover the cooker with a lid and cook on a low flame for a few minutes till the tomatoes are mushy. The tomatoes should be well cooked and soft. Add the chicken meat. Chicken thighs are preferred for this recipe. and half a cup of water. Mix everything well to combine. Cover the cooker with its lid and cook for about two whistles. It should take about 3-4 minutes on medium flame. After two whistles, remove from heat and wait for the pressure to settle. While the chicken is cooking, let’s soak the rice. We are using seeraga samba rice today. The short-grained rice adds a nice aroma to the biryani. Wash and soak the rice for about 20 minutes. Once the pressure in the cooker settles, open the cooker and keep the cooker back on the stove. Add in the coconut milk. I added a cup of water. There is some gravy left in the cooker. The rice to liquid ratio is 1 cup rice to 1.5 cups water. If in doubt, measure the gravy in the cooker after cooking the chicken and add the water accordingly. Add the whole green chillies, coriander leaves, and mint leaves. The whole green chillies are only for flavour and not for the heat. So keep the green chillies whole. Bring everything to a boil. Add the soaked and drained rice to the pressure cooker. Add the juice of a lime. Mix everything well. Place a cut banana leaf on top of the rice mixture. The banana leaf is optional but gives a fantastic aroma to the biryani. Cover the cooker with its lid and cook for about two whistles. After two whistles, remove from heat and wait for the pressure to settle. Open the cooker. Remove the banana leaf and gently mix to fluff up the rice.
Notes
Green chillies are ground to a paste and added for the heat. A few green chillies are also added as a whole so the flavour gets in the rice sans the heat.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 15m
- Cook Time: 45m
For the biryani masala paste
1/4 cup sambar onions – shallots 1 pod garlic 1 -inch piece of ginger roughly chopped 8 green chillies 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 1 -inch piece cinnamon – cassia 1/2 piece star anise 3 cloves 2 cardamom 1 pinch of kalpasi 2 tablespoon water
Other ingredients
2 tablespoons peanut oil 2 tablespoons ghee 2 bay leaves 2 maratti moggu 1 -inch piece cinnamon – cassia 1 onion finely sliced ( 1/4 cup ) 2 tomatoes chopped 2 teaspoon salt 8 green chillies (keep whole) 1/4 cup coriander leaves, chopped 1/4 cup mint leaves, chopped 1 lime, juiced 750 grams chicken thigh meat (add up to 1 kilogram) 2 cups seeraga samba rice 1/2 cup thick coconut milk 1.5 cups water (divided)
Take a small mixie jar and add in the Indian sambar onion shallots, garlic, ginger, green chillies, fennel seeds, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, cardamom, kalpasi, and couple of tablespoons of water. Grind everything to a smooth paste. The paste should be ground fine. Set aside. Take a pressure cooker and add in the oil and the ghee. Add in the bay leaves, maratti moggu, a small piece of cinnamon, and the sliced onions. Saute for a few minutes till the onions are soft. No need to brown the onions for this recipe. Add in the sliced tomatoes and the ground paste, and the salt. Mix well to combine. Cover the cooker with a lid and cook on a low flame for a few minutes till the tomatoes are mushy. The tomatoes should be well cooked and soft. Add the chicken meat. Chicken thighs are preferred for this recipe. and half a cup of water. Mix everything well to combine. Cover the cooker with its lid and cook for about two whistles. It should take about 3-4 minutes on medium flame. After two whistles, remove from heat and wait for the pressure to settle. While the chicken is cooking, let’s soak the rice. We are using seeraga samba rice today. The short-grained rice adds a nice aroma to the biryani. Wash and soak the rice for about 20 minutes. Once the pressure in the cooker settles, open the cooker and keep the cooker back on the stove. Add in the coconut milk. I added a cup of water. There is some gravy left in the cooker. The rice to liquid ratio is 1 cup rice to 1.5 cups water. If in doubt, measure the gravy in the cooker after cooking the chicken and add the water accordingly. Add the whole green chillies, coriander leaves, and mint leaves. The whole green chillies are only for flavour and not for the heat. So keep the green chillies whole. Bring everything to a boil. Add the soaked and drained rice to the pressure cooker. Add the juice of a lime. Mix everything well. Place a cut banana leaf on top of the rice mixture. The banana leaf is optional but gives a fantastic aroma to the biryani. Cover the cooker with its lid and cook for about two whistles. After two whistles, remove from heat and wait for the pressure to settle. Open the cooker. Remove the banana leaf and gently mix to fluff up the rice.
Notes
Green chillies are ground to a paste and added for the heat. A few green chillies are also added as a whole so the flavour gets in the rice sans the heat.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 15m
- Cook Time: 45m
Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/kongunadu-kozhi-vellai-biryani/
Recipe for Beetroot Paaledu Thogayal | Beetroot Chutney With Milk Cream Recipe
Paaledu is the milk cream that comes to the top after chilling the boiled milk. Traditionally it is used to make butter by churning the collected cream. In Kongunadu, paaledu is added to Keerai (greens) and chutneys made with veggies. It makes the chutneys very unctuous and is a delicacy. The greens and chutneys fortified with paaledu are usually served with hot parboiled rice for lunch. The roasted peanuts used while tempering adds a nice crunch and texture to the thogayal / chutney.
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Here is the video of how to make Beetroot Paaledu Thogayal | Beetroot Chutney With Milk Cream Recipe
Main Ingredients
2.5 teaspoon Indian sesame oil (divided) 2 tablespoon chana dal 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds 4 dried red chillies (adjust according to your taste) 4 cloves garlic 1 sprig curry leaves 250 grams beetroot, chopped 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 marble sized tamarind 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida 1/3 cup fresh shredded coconut 2 tablespoon paaledu (milk top cream)
Tempering for thogayal
1 teaspoon Indian sesame oil 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds 1 sprig of curry leaf 3 dried red chillies 2 tablespoon roasted peanuts
Take a heavy-bottomed pan and add the Indian-style sesame oil. Add in the chana dal, cumin seeds and dried red chillies. Adjust the chillies according to your taste. Saute on a low flame till the dal roasts and becomes golden. Remove the roasted lentil mixture to a plate. Set that aside. In the same pan, add a little more oil. Add in some roughly chopped garlic, a sprig of fresh curry leaves, and the chopped beetroot. I have chopped them today. You can also grate them and add. Keeping the cut pieces small helps cook the beets faster. Add in the salt and a small marble-sized piece of tamarind. Mix well so the oil coats the beetroot uniformly. Cover the pan with a lid and cook on a low flame for about five minutes. The beetroots will be half-cooked at this stage. Half cooking the beetroot is enough for this recipe.
Add in a little asafoetida and the fresh shredded coconut. Cook for a minute. Our beetroot mixture is now ready.
Take a heavy-duty mixie or a blender and add the roasted and cooled lentil mixture. Add the beetroot mixture. At this stage add the paaledu – the milk cream. The paaledu makes the thogayal very rich and vibrant in taste. Grind everything to a smooth paste. Add little water while grinding if necessary. The paste should be ground to a thick smooth texture. Set aside.
Now let’s make a simple tempering for the thogayal. Add oil to a small Kadai. Add in the mustard seeds, curry leaves and dried red chillies. Saute for a few seconds. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add the roasted and skinned peanuts to the pan and saute for a few seconds more. The roasted peanuts add a nice textural crunch to the thogayal.
Add the tempering on top of the thogayal. Our fantastic beetroot thogayal is now ready. Serve the thogayal with hot rice and enjoy.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 5m
- Cook Time: 15m
