Thalappakatti Mutton Biryani – Dindigul Biriyani Recipe

Dindugal Thalapakatti Mutton biryani (thalapakatti biriyani) was on my list for a long time. I have devoured a few times during my last India visit… they seems to have chain all over and moment you think of biryani… your mind locks this place. Well this biryani,though a dum style…is not your typical bhai biryani but more of southern Tamilian flavor inculcated in very grain… that is cooked in traditional south indian spices and also locally grown samba arisi is used instead of basmati rice. Also its more like a homestyle preparation but cooked in traditional dum style over firewood. Even the color of biryani looks more brownish than that vibrant red orange yellow hue…. My attempt to make this at home is somewhat close, everyone  liked  and gave an “A” ok… 🙂 you can be the judge and let me know!

Some biryani recipes to try..

1. Mutton Biryani
2. Chicken Biryani
3. Ambur Mutton Biryani
4. Shrimp Biryani

Ingredients (Table -1)

1. Seeraga Samba Rice 2 cups
2. Mutton ½ kg
3. Turmeric powder ¼ teaspoon
4. Ginger Garlic paste ½ teaspoon
5. Salt ½ teaspoon (preferably kallu uppu)
6. Water 4 cups

Ingredients for Masala powder (Table-2)

1. Cinnamon 2 sticks (1 inch pieces)
2. Cardamom 3
3. Cloves 5
4. Nutmeg ¼ teaspoon
5. Mace flower 1 petal (small)
6. Black peppercorns ½ teaspoon
7. Star anise 2 petals
8. Turmeric powder ½ teaspoon
9. Coriander powder 1 tablespoon
10. Red chili powder 1 teaspoon

Ingredients for the Biryani (Table-3)

1. Onion 2 cups (chopped) (preferably china vengayam)
2. Tomato 1/2 cup (chopped)
3. Green Chilli 6 (slit open)
4. Ginger Garlic paste 1 tablespoon
5. Bay leaf 2 leaves
6. Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon
7. Fennel seeds 1 teaspoon
8. Yogurt ¼ cup
9. Mint leaves ½ cup (chopped)
10. Coriander leaves ½ cup (chopped)
11. Salt 2 teaspoons + extra if needed (preferably kallu uppu)
12. Oil ½ cup
13. Ghee 2 tablespoons
14. Lemon juice – 1 tablespoon

Before you start get all the prep work done…

Rice – Use samba rice (you can use any other short grain if you cant find it, basmati is also ok… but the traditional one calls for seeraga samba arisi)

Soak rice in water for 45 minutes. Soaking & cooking time may vary if using a different rice.

Mutton – Wash mutton and pressure cook with 4 cups water, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and ½ teaspoon ginger garlic paste. You may have to give atleast 4 to 5 whistles to cook it tender. Keep this aside along with the juice/ soup… whatever!

Masala powder – All the spices listed in table-2 grind it along with turmeric powder, coriander and chilli powder to make a fine powder.

Keep this aside. (some spices like nutmeg and mace flower are very strong, do not throw in extra it will spoil the entire dish)

Biryani gravy & dum- ing

Heat oil in a wide heavy bottom pan.. may be a wide based pressure cooker pan will work. Temper with bay leaves, cumin seeds & fennel seeds. Let them sizzle a bit.

Followed by green chilies and ginger garlic paste… saute well till the paste turns lightly brown, the green chilies will automatically become tender and mush with it.

Now add the chopped onions.. (ususally china vengayam or sambar vengayam is the key for this recipe… pls try to use that if possible) and cook till translucent. Add in a pinch of salt or cook them through.

Followed by finely chopped mint and coriander leaves. They will turn a little crisp as you saute them.

Now add in the chopped tomatoes and cook till mushy.

Add in yogurt at this stage and mix well blend with the tomato onion mixture.

Now comes the masala powder… throw in and saute well.

Lets add in the salt at this point. (remember we did add ½ tsp already to the cooked mutton)

Now just add the cooked mutton pieces first and pour in 4 cups of the mutton juice. If its little less then add in water. Check for salt at this stage again… add in only if needed.

Let is cook over medium high flame… heat it starts to boil add in the soaked rice.

Let the rice cook over medium high flame until it absorbs ¾ of the water. It will look half cooked and chunky at this stage. Throw in some more coriander and mint leaves.

Squeeze that lemon juice over it now!

Now reduce the flame to the lowest settting and cover with a tight lid. I usually place my mortar and pestle which will do its duty right… gup-chup!

Set a timer for 45 minutes if you have one…. I use my oven timer or that idle Amazon alexa helps me with this. Do not disturb mode… your curiosity will kill you… but leave it alone for 45 minutes!

When you open you will them cooked perfectly… this samba rice doesn’t get mushy that fast so whatever water we used & time set will cook them to perfection, a little grainy look but soft when pressed.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and drizzle that ghee. Mix it up gently… to fluff up the rice.
Now you are all set to dig in!

I managed to serve this with chicken salna, chicken 65, raita and boiled egg.

Notes

• Serves 4
• Using Chinna vengayam or sambar vengayam is a must as that gives you taste you’re looking for…
• Seera samba arisi is a flavorful short grain rice that is usually used for this style biryani. I got mine from India but its also available here in USA (recently saw in Patel Bros) the brand was different though.
• Nutmeg and mace flower also plays its share in giving that southern Tamilian style taste… include them as mentioned.
• You may also use chicken instead of mutton for this recipe… but can cook it directly with the rice.
• I always stress in all my recipes to use kallu uppu (kosher salt) as it matters. You will definitely see a difference in taste… they make it more tasty than regular table salt.
• Vegetarians can try this with mixed vegetables if you wanna get a taste of it!