Lunch at Michelin-selected ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ด๐๐น ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ on Penang Street today. The homegrown eatery fashioned itself after the legendary Tamil Nadu dining icon, Thalappakatti Biriyani from the town of Dindigul in India. Founded back in 1957 by Nagasamy Naidu, Thalappakatti Biriyani prided itself on its Tamilian biryani which was cooked using the short-grained ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข๐จ๐ข ๐ด๐ข๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ข rice, spiced with ground onions, garlic, green chilis, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. ๐๐ข๐ด๐ฎ๐ข๐ต๐ช rice, popular in other parts of India, especially the north, wonโt be acceptable to its Tamil customers.
Over here in the heart of Penangโs Little India, ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ด๐๐น ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ also opted for the ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข๐จ๐ข ๐ด๐ข๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ข rice grains (also called ๐ฑ๐ข๐ณ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ด๐ช๐ต๐ต๐ถ), and replicated the same recipe to produce their ๐ฃ๐ช๐ณ๐บ๐ข๐ฏ๐ช offering.
We also ordered ๐ข๐๐ก๐๐๐ช ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐ โ a South Indian pepper soup which was the forerunner of the British ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ญ๐ญ๐ช๐จ๐ข๐ต๐ข๐ธ๐ฏ๐บ, having been adopted by the British Raj colonialists and brought back to England in the 19th-century.
For our main course, we ordered the ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ฃ๐, a weekend special where the biryani is topped with a spicy, intensely-flavoured dry chicken curry. The ๐ฃ๐ช๐ณ๐บ๐ข๐ฏ๐ช was served with ๐ถ๐ญ๐ญ๐ช ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ช๐ณ๐ถ (curd with chopped purple onions), ๐ด๐ฆ๐ท๐ช๐บ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ณ (vermicelli in sweet milk dessert) and ๐ฌ๐ถ๐ญ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ถ (a tamarind-based broth accented with a spice blend of ground coriander seeds, fenugreek, and ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ/yellow lentils).
The food was ultra-spicy here, and pretty much suited the palate of the local Penang-Tamil customers. It was very busy at lunch today on Saturday.
Address
Dindigul Biriyani
43, Lebuh Penang (Penang Street), 10200 George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Tel: +604-261 4532
Operating hours: 10.30am to 10pm daily
