Instructions

preparing red chilli paste
Firstly rinse and then soak 4 to 5 dry red chilies in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes. Cover and keep aside.
After the red chilies have softened, place them in a small grinder jar. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the soaked water.
Grind to a smooth paste. Keep the red chili paste aside.
cooking rice
When you keep the red chilies for soaking, then also rinse 1 heaped cup seeraga samba rice in water first. Then soak in enough water for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, when the red chilies and rice are soaking, prep the other ingredients like chopping mushrooms, onions and tomatoes etc.
After 30 minutes, drain the rice and keep aside. Also bring 3.5 cups water to a boil in a pan. When the water comes to a boil, add 1 small tej patta, green cardamom, 1 clove, 1/2 inch cinnamon and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Bring the water to a rolling boil and add the rice.
Do not reduce the flame and let the rice cook on a medium to high flame. Cook the rice without covering the pan with any lid.
Once the rice is 3/4th cooked, then switch off the flame. The rice has to have some bite in the center when you eat it.
Strain the rice in a colander. You can even rinse the rice in running water, so that they stop cooking. Keep the cooked rice aside.
making mushroom gravy for ambur biryani
In another pan heat 3 tablespoons oil. Keep the flame to a low and then add 1 small to medium tej patta, 2 green cardamoms, 2 cloves and 1/2 inch cinnamon.
When the spices splutter and become fragrant, then add 1 cup thinly sliced onions.
Saute the onions on a medium flame. Stir often while sauteing them.
When the onions start becoming golden, then add 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste.
Stir and saute till the raw aroma of ginger & garlic goes away.
Next add 1 cup chopped tomatoes and saute them for a minute.
Then add 1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves and 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves. Mix well.
Now add 2 cups of sliced or chopped mushrooms. Mix the mushrooms with the rest of the masala.
Keep the flame to a low or sim. Then add 1/4 cup fresh curd. Quickly stir the curd while you add it.
Next add 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder and 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder.
Then add the ground red chilli paste. Mix very well.
Add 1/2 cup water and stir.
Season with salt as per taste. Mix again.
Cover the pan with its lid and simmer the gravy on a medium flame till the mushrooms are cooked. This takes about 7 to 8 minutes on a low to medium flame.
You should see some oil specks floating on top and the gravy will also reduce a bit.
assembling and layering ambur biryani
Now in the same pan which has mushroom gravy, add the cooked rice. You can prepare two layers or four layers of the rice and gravy.
Seal the pan with an aluminium foil. Also heat a tawa on a low flame for 5 minutes.
dum cooking ambur biryani
Place the lid on the pan. Then keep the pan on the hot tawa and dum cook on a low flame for 30 to 35 minutes.
If baking – then bake the ambur biryani at 180 degrees celsius in a preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Please remember to use an oven proof glass utensil like the pyrex bowl for baking in the oven. You will have to assemble the biryani as mentioned above in the oven proof utensil. Cover with aluminium foil and then bake.
Give a resting time of 5 to 7 minutes and then serve the ambur star biryani. There should be no gravy or liquid at the bottom of the pan. If you see some gravy in the biryani, then continue to dum cook for some more minutes.
Serve ambur star biryani with onion-tomato raita or onion raita.