Thalassery Biryani
Thalassery biriyani is a rice dish blended with Chicken and Spices. The recipe has a strong legacy of the Mughlai cuisine. This variant of biryani is an Indian cuisine and has originated from the Malabar region of South India. The specialty is the difference in the choice of rice (Basmati rice is not used; small-grained Khaima/Jeerakasala rice is used); Chicken is not fried before adding to the masala. Thalassery…
Ingredients
Rice
- 750 g (3 cups) khaima or jeerakasala rice
- 3 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp dalda (vanaspati)
- Cinnamon sticks, as needed
- 3–4 whole cloves
- 3–4 cardamom pods
- ⅔ leaves Malabar leaf (Indian bay leaf)
- ¼ tsp kaskas (Indian white poppy seeds)
- ¾ pieces star anise (optional)
Masala
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
- 6 ea. (500 g) finely-chopped onion
- ¼ cup (~50 g) cashew nuts
- ¼ cup (~50 g) kismis (sultana raisins)
- 1 pinch yellow/orange artificial food colour
- 1 tsp saffron, soaked in milk
- 5 ea. medium tomatoes, chopped
- 2-inch piece fresh ginger, grated or cut into small pieces
- 1–1.5 cloves garlic, or to taste
- 6 green chiles, or to taste
- 5 shallots, or to taste
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 3–4 pieces mace
- 1 tsp red chile powder
- 1 kg chicken, cut into slightly bigger pieces than usually used for curry, soaked 20 minutes in water and washed
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- ½ tbsp garam masala powder
- ¾–1 cup (~1 bunch) coriander leaves, chopped
- ¾–1 cup (~1 bunch) pudina (mint) leaves, chopped
- ½ tsp black pepper powder
- Diluted yogurt, to taste
- Table salt to taste
Assembly
- 1 tbsp edible rose water
Steps
Rice
- Wash rice in water. Drain completely.
- Heat ghee and a small amount of dalda in a kadai. Add drained rice and fry a few minutes.
- Add water at 1¾:1 water to rice.
- Add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, bay leaf, Indian white poppy seeds, star anise and lemon juice. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until all water is absorbed.
Masala
- Heat coconut oil and a little ghee in a deep kadai. Add chopped onions, cashew nuts and sultana raisins. Fry until caramel in colour, then remove from heat and set aside.
- Heat chopped tomatoes and a little water in a deep kadai, without oil, until tomatoes soften.
- Add crushed ginger, garlic, chopped green chili and chopped shallot. Stir until raw smell fades.
- Stir in fennel seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, mace and red chili powder.
- Mix in chicken. Cover and cook, stirring intermittently to prevent sticking, until almost cooked.
- Add ¼ of the fried onion mixture, lemon juice, garam masala powder, chopped coriander leaves and pudina (mint) leaves. Reduce to a simmer.
- Add black pepper powder and yogurt. Cook until chicken and masala blend together.
Assembly
- Combine rice, remaining onion mixture, artificial color, saffron milk and rosewater.
- Layer masala and rice in a dish. Cover with lid and seal tightly with maida dough or dishcloth.
- Place hot coals or charcoal on lid while cooking. Keep flame at a simmer.
- Serve.
Notes from the original
- The rice is different in Thalassery biryani. A small-grained, thin(not round), good aroma, variant of rice known as Khaima/Jeerkasala is used. Basmati rice is not used to make Thalassery biryani.
- Khaima/Jeerakasala rice do not require Pre-soaking and Post-draining of water after preparation, like the usual rice varieties.
- No oil is used for chicken base and chicken is not fried before adding to the masala.
Source. Adapted from “Cookbook:Thalassery Biryani” by Wikibooks contributors, revision of 2025-08-21, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Changes. Steps rewritten into short commands. Introduction shortened. Wiki formatting removed. This adapted recipe is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo. Thalassery biryani -1.jpg by Sheetal, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia. Resized; otherwise unchanged.