Thalassery cuisine
| Alternative names | Malabar biriyani |
|---|---|
| Course | Main course |
| Place of origin | Indian subcontinent |
| Region or state | Malabar |
| Created by | Mughal or Arab origin |
| Main ingredients | Khyma Rice, chicken |
| Variations | Malabar biriyani (Kozhikode biriyani) |
Thalassery Biriyani[1] (Template:Lang-ml), also known as thalassery biryani, is a rice-based dish made with spices, rice (khyma rice, and not basmati rice) and chicken (specially cut for biriyani). Variations upon the dish may use mutton, fish, eggs or vegetables.
The main difference is that this biriyani does not use basmati it only uses Khyma rice.
Etymology
The name is derived from the Persian word beryā(n) (بریان) which means "fried" or "roasted".[2] Biryani was believed to have been invented in the kitchen of Mughal Emperors. It is very popular dish in Malabar cuisine. There are similar way of preparations in the region another variety called Kozhikode biryani or Malabar biryani.
In local dialect Malayalam there is a small variation in pronunciation. It is called biri-yaa-ni instead of bir-yani.[1] So it is called Thalassery Biriyani, as the variation in preparation is mainly originated from Thalassery, in Kerala, India.
Differences from other biriyani
The specialty of Thalassery Biriyani is that it uses a unique fragrant small rice variety named Khyma, a Bangladesh variant of rice. The Khyma rice is also known by the names Kaima/Jeera rice/Jeerakasala/Jeerakasemba or Bangladeshi biryani rice. Unlike other variants, the rice is white in colour, short (small) grains, and is very fragrant (most of the rice varieties do not have fragrance).[1][3] Usually preparing rice requires pre-soaking for about half hour and draining water after cooking but Khyma rice does not need pre-soaking; the rice only needs to be washed to clean it. Draining is not required as the water gets evaporated away, so the preparation style is also called dum-biriyani.[4]
Dum is the process of putting the biriyani masala chicken mix and rice in two layers and then sealing the lid of the container with dough (mainly maida is used for making dough) and then fuming coal or any red hot charcoal is put above the lid.
The preparation also has a variation in which the chicken is fried before adding it to the masala. The the chicken gets slowly cooked in the masala, blended well with the juices of masala and spices. This is an exotic dish of Mughal/Arab origin.[1]
Ingredients
Kaima rice, chicken, onion, ginger, garlic, green chilly, lemon juice, coriander leaves chopped, mint leaves, tomato chopped, ghee, oil, salt to taste, rose water is mixed with the Biriyani Masala (Garam masala powder, Fennel powder, Cumin powder, Nutmeg powder)and mix for rice[5] consisting of cinnamon, cloves, cardamon and for garnishing and texture saffron soaked in milk, Cashew nuts and Golden seedless grapes.[1][6]
In fiction
Thalassery and Kozhikode biriyani preparations are the key theme of the Malayalam movie Ustad Hotel.[7]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e http://www.mysingaporekitchen.com/2012/11/thalassery-biriyani.html
- ^ American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Oxford English Dictionary
- ^ "Recipes:Indian|Arabic cuisine|Vegetarian|Italian: Chicken Biriyani". Deepsrecipes.com. 2012-06-04. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
- ^ "Thalassery Chicken Dum Biryani". AnzzCafe. 2011-06-27. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
- ^ Posted by hajarateacher (2009-07-18). ": Thalassery Chicken Biriyani". Thalasserycuisines.blogspot.in. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
- ^ "Thalassery Chicken Biriyani Recipe | Dum Biryani Thalashery Style | Malabar Biriyani". Homely Kitchen. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2218988/
Further reading
- P R, Sucheth (December 11, 2012). "Pandit to add might to Thalassery biryani". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
External links
Thalassery cuisine at the Wikibooks Cookbook subproject
