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Kuska Recipe, Tamil style kushka recipe

June 4, 2019 by Suguna Vinodh 28 Comments

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Kuska-rice-recipe-muslim-style-17
Recipe for kuska, tamil hotel style kuska rice recipe. Kuska gravy made with homemade chicken stock made from scratch.

Kuska / kushka – The tamil style kuska recipe is usually understood as biryani minus the meat. In many restaurants its often referred as MT-Biryani (empty biryani). This kuska recipe uses homemade chicken stock to flavour the rice. The stock is used for making kuska while the meat is shredded and made into pichi potta kozhi or pepper chicken. I think this is Tamilnadu’s answer to Hainanese chicken and rice. This is one of our regular Sunday lunch favorites.

Here is how to make kuska.
Note for vegetarians: This recipe uses chicken stock. For a vegetarian version, you can use vegetable stock and a cup of coconut milk to enhance the taste.

We will need to make chicken stock for this recipe. Use a bigger cooker so there is less spewing from the cooker. If the cooker is small, the stock will ooze out and make a mess. So use at-least a 5 liter cooker. Add the chicken bones in a pressure cooker and add a liter of water. Add in half a teaspoon of turmeric powder and a teaspoon of salt. Cover the pressure cooker and cook on a medium flame for 30 minutes. Cooking for a long time will make the collagen from the bones to release and will make the stock very flavourful. This stock is very nutritious too! After 30 minutes, let the pressure from the cooker settle naturally. Remove the bones from the stock and discard the bones. Set aside.
Note: If you cant get chicken bones, boil whole chicken or chicken thighs for 15 minutes in the cooker. Remove the chicken meat and boil the bones again for another 15 minutes in the cooker and proceed with the recipe. The boiled chicken can be shredded and used to make delicious pichi potta kozhi.
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Wash and soak the basmati rice in water for at-least 20 minutes to half an hour. You can soak the rice and start with the the prep work.
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Kuska Masala
Take all the ingredients listed under kuska masala. We will grind it to a paste.
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Grind the ingredients in a mixie to a smooth paste. Add little water while grinding. Set aside.
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Heat oil and ghee in a pan and add in the kalpasi (stone flower) and the bay leaves.
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Add in the sliced onions and saute for five minutes till the onions are soft.
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Add in the ground masala and the tomatoes. Add in half a teaspoon of salt. Remember we have also salted the stock. So go easy on the salt. We can adjust the seasoning later if need be. Saute the tomatoes for 5 minutes till the tomatoes are cooked and the mixture is almost dry.
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Add in the red chilli powder and the curd. Cook for five minutes.
Note: Adjust the quantity of green chillies and red chilli powder according to your taste and spice level.
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Add in the stock. Measure the stock and add. We will need four cups of liquid for this recipe.
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I had about 3 cups of stock. Add a cup of water and the coriander and mint leaves. Let it all come to a boil. Add in the drained rice.
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Cover the pan with a lid and let the rice cook for 10 minutes on medium flame.
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Stir once in a while.
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After about 10 minutes, the rice would be cooked about seventy five to eighty percent.
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At this stage add in the ghee and put the kuska rice in dum.
Dum: Heat a dosa tawa on medium low flame and place the kuska pan on top of the dosa tawa. Let the kuska be on dum for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the pan and let it rest for atleast 20 minutes before serving the kuska.
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Kuska is ready after the rest. Serve the kuska with boiled egg, raita and salna.

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Kuska Recipe, Tamil style kushka recipe


★★★★★

5 from 9 reviews

  • Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
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Description

Recipe for kuska, tamil hotel style kuska rice recipe. Kuska gravy made with homemade chicken stock made from scratch.


Ingredients

Scale

For the stock

  • 500 grams chicken bones
  • 1 liter water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

For the masala paste

  • 10 cloves garlic
  • 1 inch piece ginger
  • 4–5 green chillies
  • 4 cloves
  • 2 cardamom
  • half inch piece cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (sombu)

Other Ingredients

  • 2 cups Basmati rice (500 ml)
  • 2 tablespoon peanut oil
  • 3 tablespoon ghee
  • a big pinch of kalpasi
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 cups sliced onions
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (adjust seasoning later if need be)
  • 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
  • 1/4 cup curd
  • 1/4 cup chopped mint leaves
  • 1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
  • 2 tablespoon ghee for dum

Instructions

  1. Add the chicken bones in a pressure cooker and add a liter of water. Add in half a teaspoon of turmeric powder and a teaspoon of salt. Cover the pressure cooker and cook on a medium flame for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, let the pressure from the cooker settle naturally. Remove the bones from the stock and discard the bones. Set aside.
  2. Wash and soak the basmati rice in water for at-least 20 minutes to half an hour. You can soak the rice and start with the the prep work.
  3. Grind the ingredients in a mixie to a smooth paste. Add little water while grinding. Set aside.
  4. Heat oil and ghee in a pan and add in the kalpasi (stone flower) and the bay leaves.
  5. Add in the sliced onions and saute for five minutes till the onions are soft.
  6. Add in the ground masala and the tomatoes. Add in half a teaspoon of salt.
  7. Saute the tomatoes for 5 minutes till the tomatoes are cooked and the mixture is almost dry.
  8. Add in the red chilli powder and the curd. Cook for five minutes.
  9. Add in the stock. Measure the stock and add. We will need four cups of liquid for this recipe.
  10. I had about 3 cups of stock. Add a cup of water and the coriander and mint leaves. Let it all come to a boil. Add in the drained rice.
  11. Cover the pan with a lid and let the rice cook for 10 minutes on medium flame. Stir once in a while.
  12. After about 10 minutes, the rice would be cooked about seventy five to eighty percent.
  13. At this stage add in the ghee and put the kuska rice in dum.
  14. Dum: Heat a dosa tawa on medium low flame and place the kuska pan on top of the dosa tawa. Let the kuska be on dum for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the pan and let it rest for atleast 20 minutes before serving the kuska.
  15. Kuska is ready after the rest. Serve the kuska with boiled egg, raita and salna.
  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 45 mins
  • Category: Main
  • Cuisine: Tamilnadu

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Suguna Vinodh

I'm Suguna Vinodh aka Kannamma. I love south Indian food and I am passionate about baking. My Favorite things include my Wusthof knife, Coffee, Ilayaraja, Tamil and beaches. I love Jacques Pepin and Julia Child.

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Comments

  1. Sandhya Louis says

    August 15, 2021 at 5:50 am

    Kannama, can’t thank you enough for all your wonderful recipes! This kuska biryani recipe turns out perfectly each time! Thanks again for sharing generously all these little treasures! Sandhya

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      August 16, 2021 at 2:04 pm

      Thank You!

      Reply
  2. S Gokavi says

    July 29, 2021 at 4:18 am

    Hello. I am amazed with Kannamma Cooks. I have tried a few of your recipes. Quite successfully, I must say, because you explain it so nicely (uncomplicated). The Kuska is a big hit with my family and friends. One of my top pulaos ever. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      August 2, 2021 at 12:14 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  3. Rajesh says

    April 4, 2021 at 2:39 am

    Hi, Can we use store bought stock cubes to get the stock?

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      April 10, 2021 at 8:23 pm

      Sure.

      Reply
  4. Claire says

    March 20, 2021 at 12:49 pm

    Hi, I have just found your blog as I am preparing for a fundraiser …. I will provide a Tamilnadu feast for friends – raising funds for asylum seekers in Australia.

    I would like to cook this dish as part of the feast… I am sorry for my ignorance but please can you clarify what a ‘dum’ is and also a dosa area ?

    From your recipe”At this stage add in the ghee and put the kuska rice in dum.
    Dum: Heat a dosa tawa on medium low flame and place the kuska pan on top of the dosa tawa.”

    Thankypu

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      March 20, 2021 at 3:44 pm

      Dum is the final step in making a pulao or biryani where the flavour gets locked into the rice.
      Basically here is how to do it.
      There are two ways to do it.
      First Way – Heat a skillet (dosa tawa – a skillet used to make dosai. Any thick skillet / griddle will work ) on low flame. On top of the skillet, place the kuska pot (which is 75% -80% done) and cover it with a tight lid and let it cook in that residual heat for 20 minutes. After the time, remove the pot from heat. Set aside for 20 minutes before serving.
      Second way : I suggest this for you as its better and fool proof.
      After adding the stock / water to the pan, let it come to a boil. Add in the rice etc.. and let it all come to a boil. A full boil.
      Cover the pan with a lid and place it in a preheated oven. Bake the kuska for twenty minutes at 200°C / 400°F. After the said time, remove the pan from the oven and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before opening.
      IMPORTANT: Place the kuska pan in the oven after the water / liquid in the pan comes to a full boil. Else the kuska wont cook properly.
      Also, preheat the oven 200°C / 400°F for 15-20 minutes before baking.
      Refer to this video for an idea.
      https://www.kannammacooks.com/easy-chicken-biryani/

      Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      March 20, 2021 at 3:48 pm

      Hi Claire.
      Wishing you the best for the fund raiser.
      Suguna

      Reply
  5. Roshini says

    August 11, 2020 at 2:24 am

    Very flavorful recipe……turned out very tasty

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      August 11, 2020 at 6:54 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  6. Shifali says

    July 19, 2020 at 5:11 pm

    I loved this recipe, quick and easy. Cooked it for the first time and my husband and in-laws just loved it. Thanks for this recipe 😊

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      July 19, 2020 at 11:43 pm

      Thank you so much.

      Reply
  7. Visvedhaa Subramaniam says

    July 5, 2020 at 11:02 am

    The best recipe during lockdown time 😊😊😊

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      July 6, 2020 at 5:16 pm

      Thank you. Glad you liked the kuska. Comfort food 🙂

      Reply
  8. Vijay says

    July 1, 2020 at 1:44 pm

    Thanks I tried out this recipe too with coconut milk. It was tasty. Should we substitute all the water with coconut milk can yo clarify.

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      July 1, 2020 at 9:35 pm

      Hi Vijay, The coconut milk – water can be 50:50. Glad you liked it.

      Reply
  9. Surya says

    June 28, 2020 at 6:07 pm

    Hi Suguna akka… We have tried this recipe many times now during the lockdown when it’s difficult to get meat and everytime is a hit.. this recipe is a keeper.. Thanks a lot for sharing such yummy fool proof recipes…

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      June 28, 2020 at 8:03 pm

      Thank you so much Surya. Glad you guys enjoyed the kuska recipe. Stay safe and happy cooking !

      Reply
  10. Sona Rajasingh says

    April 2, 2020 at 4:22 pm

    I made this today and instead of chicken stock,I added coconut milk..a big hit with my family..taste was awesome..thank you very much for the recipe..

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  11. vel says

    September 5, 2019 at 4:09 pm

    I did this yesterday for my wife and son and both of them liked soo much that they wanted me to repeat again today. I am going to do the same with mutton bones. Awesome biriyani! From now on its gonna be mostly MT biriyani in my home!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  12. Visiit says

    June 27, 2019 at 5:46 pm

    I think this is a good recipe really i know how to prepare but i don’t know the quantity thanks for providing the details. good to see more of your blog.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  13. Dharini says

    June 21, 2019 at 6:46 am

    Hello Mam,

    I am a big fan of your blog. I have tried many of your dishes(fish fry/mutton gola), super hit in my kitchen too. Thanks for that. This Kuska receipe looks good, and i am eagerly looking forward to try this over the weekend.

    I am just wondering the utensil that you have used is cast iron right? I believe that is a very heavy pan, is it really worth/good to use it in daily cooking? Wont it take more time for cooking?

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      June 25, 2019 at 2:03 am

      It’s enameled cast iron.

      Reply
  14. GK says

    June 5, 2019 at 1:16 am

    Thank you for the recipe. Would using seeraga samba rice make it better? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      June 5, 2019 at 2:21 am

      Sure. you can use seeraga samba too!
      I do it either with basmati or seeraga samba and both turns out well.
      I love seeraga samba too!

      Reply
  15. Ravichandran Natesan says

    June 4, 2019 at 10:34 pm

    Clear presentation. I will try in veg version…

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  16. Madhu says

    June 4, 2019 at 8:01 pm

    Super super dear…. what a timing….u have posted this recipe for Ramzan time…. Thanks

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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I’m Suguna, a former financial analyst, now a full-time food blogger. Welcome to my space. I share recipes gathered from my friends and family here. I am passionate about South Indian food. I crazy love knives. A sharp knife is a girls best friend. Hope you like the recipes here. Happy Cooking. Read more.....

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