Ambur Mutton Biryani Recipe | How To Make Ambur Star Briyani | Ambur Biryani Recipe

Ambur mutton biryani or Ambur Star briyani from Ambur town in Vellore district in Tamil Nadu has a devoted following across south India. This is a delightfully flavoured biryani that deserves to be known in the rest of the country.

We bring you the original Ambur biryani recipe straight from the place where it was born.

Ambur is located on the banks of the Palar river, between Chennai and Bangalore. It is famous for its spicy non-vegetarian biryani and for makkan peda, a sweet.
 

Who invented Ambur biryani?

The nawabs of Arcot, the local royals, are said to have learned the fine art of cooking biryani from the nizams of Hyderabad. The descendants of the cooks for the nawabs of Arcot later established the Star Briyani Hotel in Ambur in 1890. Note the spelling: they spell it briyani, not biryani. Star Briyani Hotel’s most famous contribution to the repertoire of Indian biryanis is the authentic muslim mutton biryani from Ambur, known as Ambur Star Briyani.
 

What is special about Ambur biryani?

There are a few factors that distinguish Ambur mutton biryani from other biryanis.

First, Ambur biryani is made with a short-grained rice called seeraga samba or jeeraga samba rice (also known in short as jeera rice). For authentic Ambur mutton biryani, use only seeraga samba rice, which is grown in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, some other parts of India, and Sri Lanka. The rice is called samba because it is grown in the samba season (August through January). Samba rice is very popular in West Bengal where it is known as gobindobhog rice. It has small ovular grains, which are one-third the size of the much longer grains of basmati rice (therefore called jeera rice – small like cumin seeds or jeera). It is also much harder than other varieties of rice and has a less ‘fluffy’ texture when cooked. It also has a distinct ‘starchy’ or ‘corny’ taste and a unique aroma and flavour. Seeraga samba is the most expensive sub-variety of samba rice and has the smallest grain.
 

If seeraga samba rice is not available, you can use basmati or ambemohar rice (a fragrant rice from Maharashtra with a strong aroma reminiscent of mango blossoms) to cook Ambur mutton biryani, but you should be aware that the flavour and texture of the biryani will be quite different.
 

Second, the Ambur biryani recipe does not use spice powder like garam masala. Instead, only a few whole spices are used – green cardamoms, cinnamon, and cloves. All the spices are used whole and tempered in oil.

The hotness and taste in this Ambur mutton biryani come from red chilli paste, which can be adjusted to suit your palate or preference. If you want the Ambur Star Briyani less spicy, remove the seeds from the chillies. It is very important to use freshly ground red chilli paste to achieve the right flavour and taste.
 

Third, two ingredients—green chillies and ghee—are never used in Ambur mutton biryani.

The minimal use of whole spices (garam masala) means that the taste and flavour of mutton, ginger, galrlic, and red chilies shine in the Ambur biryani recipe when compared with other biryanis. The chillies also impart a slightly reddish colour to the dish.

Ambur biryanis (both mutton and Ambur chicken biryani recipe) are flavour-packed and are traditionally only cooked in huge pots over a wood fire.
 

What makes the Ambur biryani recipe unique?

Biryanis are usually layered rice-based dishes. However, Ambur briyani is not layered but mixed. Once the chicken or mutton has been cooked, semi-cooked rice is added in and then gently mixed before the pot is sealed and cooked till done. Traditional biryanis from Hyderabad, Chettinad, and Lucknow (Awadhi) are layered and that is usually considered a trademark of biryani.
 

Our original Ambur biryani recipe shows you how to make muslim mutton biryani Ambur style at home using easily available ingredients. Follow our tried and tested Ambur biryani recipe step by step and watch our easy video above to make this delicious biryani in your home kitchen.
 

Accompaniments for Ambur Star Briyani:

Ambur mutton biryani is usually served with kathirikai pachadi (khattay baigan), a spicy brinjal dish to accompany the already spicy biryani. Add a raita and you have a superbly delicious weekend meal.
 

Learn how to make authentic Ambur mutton biryani with our step by step video and pictures along with all ingredients and cooking method. Original Ambur biryani recipe restaurant-style from Yummefy recipes.
 

You can see all our Biryani and Rice Recipes right here!

Or read more in our article on Traditional Indian Cooking Techniques if you have an interest in learning about Indian cuisine.