![\"Ambur](\"https:\/\/www.sterlingholidays.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Ambur-Biriyani-Star-Chicken-Biriyani.jpg\")
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While I hesitated initially, I crumbled and accepted at the promise of a food experience like never before. While waiting for my dish of choice to arrive, I was informed that the town of Ambur is well-known for the \u201cAmbur Biryani\u201d which according to history emerged during the Nawab of Arcot\u2019s regime. Today it is a staple in South Indian Muslim weddings. \u00a0Ambur, located approximately 30km away from Yelagiri, has more Biryani shops per sq.km \u00a0than any other town in the world; not surprising considering the legend\u00a0 that the Biryani business was started here in 1890.<\/p>\n
Going back to my change of heart \u2013 I was served up a portion of Chicken Dum Biryani \u2013 sealed and cooked in a dum pukht <\/em>or slow oven, such that the meat cooks slowly in its own juice and marrow- with a customary leg piece<\/i>.\u00a0 As the bowl of steaming Biryani was placed before me, I instinctively grabbed the bone of the chicken leg with a tissue, expecting it to be piping hot.\u00a0 Instead, what I got was an ice cold bone, which showed no signs of having been cooked using one of the most ancient cooking techniques in the world.\u00a0 Yet, the meat was tender and ovenlike, and capable of scalding my tongue.<\/p>\n Perplexed, I asked the cook how he\u2019d done it. A simple trick, he assured me. While sealing the Biryani, he\u2019d left the bone outside, so it wouldn\u2019t heat up in the dum<\/i>, and could act like a grip to enjoy the succulent meat.\u00a0 Indeed, a stroke of culinary genius. I spent the next half hour populating my digestive system with more and more grains of jeera sambha<\/i> from the Biryani. I felt impregnated with food, but I couldn\u2019t stop eating. There were no vegetables, no accompaniments, nothing to wash it down- just me and my Ambur Chicken Dum Biryani. It\u2019s a pity I couldn\u2019t eat it all.<\/p>\n I hope to meet that cook again, and this time, I\u2019ll ensure I\u2019m well-starved, so I can do full justice to this fantastic dish.<\/p>\n The views expressed by the author are in her personal capacity. I\u2019m very clear about this. I hate Biryani. Ok, \u2018hate\u2019 is too strong an adjective, but I do dislike Biryani.\u00a0 You may ask, \u201cBiryani is so popular all over India, and there are so many different types, how can you hate them all?\u201d\u00a0 I don\u2019t hate Biryani as a dish. I\u2019m put off by the…<\/p>\n
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