Like many Hyderabadi biryani lovers, Yamini Vemuri Thummallachetty, a resident of Hyderabad, says that until she went to Anantapur in Rayalaseema a few years ago, she had no idea that a biryani called Tadipatri existed. “I knew about Hyderabadi dum biryani – spicy and mild versions,” she says. During that trip, Yamini fell in love with the Tadipatri biryani, which she had in Anantapur.
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The serving portion of the biryani at the restaurant
Tadipatri is a town in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh. The biryani here is not made in the dum style and is made only with chitti muthyalu rice (a small-grained aromatic rice). It is served with a khatta bhaji (sour side dish) made with gongura and chukka kura, and a bowl of raita. Tadipatri biryani, in some ways, resembles Tamil Nadu’s Ambur biryani.
Yamini wanted to bring it to Hyderabad for others to relish it. With a lot of assistance from her mother-in-law Neeraja Thummallachetty,Yamini and her husband Varun Thummallachetty decided on the dishes, recruited the kitchen staff and set up their first restaurant in a lane in Jubilee Hills in December 2022.
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This eatery’s bright yellow signboard with the name Tadipatri Biryani on it cannot be missed by anyone driving from Jubilee road Number 10 towards Jubilee check post. They have another outlet at Madhapur. At the Jubilee hills outlet, the only hassle is finding a parking spot. Inside the restaurant, it is chaotic with diners crowding the place and refusing to wait outside until a table is free, especially during lunch hours. As the eatery gets busy so does the staff. Food is served on banana leaves, so for a lot of diners, especially children, it is an interesting experience.
Of the many things that one must try here, the Tadiparti biryani is a must. Dum biryani lovers will definitely want to debate on the biryani and compare it with pulao. Call it by any name, but do try it. It is flavourful and not dry. The meat is cooked to melt in your mouth.
If one wants to skip biryani, the ragi sangati with natu kodi pulusu (country chicken curry) is another classic to be tried. The ragi sangati tasted good even with the gongura side dish of the biryani. The ghee served with some dishes is homemade, which enhances the flavour of the dishes.
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Those who like to enjoy starters have quite a few options.
Alasanda vada
For the vegetarians, the Alasanda (cow pea or black eye beans) vada is the restaurant’s signature dish. It is a deep-fried finger food that is quite filling. The mutton chop masala and chicken fry are some of the best picks in the non-vegetarian section. Especially the pedamma kodi, a chicken starter. Both these starters come with a little amount of thickened dry gravy, so having the starters with bread is not a bad idea.
The staff helps diners who cannot decide on what they should try. On special days even before the menu is handed to a diner, they are served a bowl of sheera, something sweet to begin the meal.
Nannari drink
One recommended drink here is the nannari and the recommended dessert is the Palkollu junnu.