Archive · 11 Sep 2026
Chef Piyush Menon Creates Yam Meatball Thalassery-Style Biryani
Chef Piyush Menon made a biryani using yam instead of meat.
He mixed mashed yam with mushrooms, herbs and spices.
He shaped the mixture into small balls and fried them until crispy.
The rice is cooked with vegetables, herbs and vegetable stock.
A thick onion, tomato and curd masala is prepared separately.
The rice and masala are layered in a pot.
The yam balls are placed mostly on top so they stay crunchy.
The pot is cooked gently, rested and then served with fried onions, cashews, raisins and herbs.
Chef Piyush Menon of Coastal Macha used yam as the hero ingredient in a Thalassery-style biryani.
The yam is combined with minced mushroom, herbs, spices, roasted besan or sattu, salt and lemon juice.
The mixture is shaped into 30–35g balls and fried at 170–175°C until golden and crisp.
Kaima, Jeerakasala or Gobindobhog rice is cooked with vegetable stock, aromatics and garam masala.
The biryani is layered with rice, masala and yam meatballs, then cooked on low heat and rested before serving.
- Who
- Chef Piyush Menon of Coastal Macha.
- What
- A Thalassery-style biryani featuring crisp yam ‘meatballs’.
- When
- The recipe instructions specify 10–12 minutes of low-heat cooking, followed by 10 minutes of resting.
- Where
- The article does not specify where the dish was prepared; it identifies the style as Thalassery.
- Why
- My Kolkata challenged the chef to make yam the hero ingredient in a biryani.
- Chef
- Piyush Menon
- Restaurant
- Coastal Macha
- Yam quantity
- 500g boiled and mashed yam
- Rice quantity
- 400g Kaima, Jeerakasala or Gobindobhog rice
- Yam ball size
- 30–35g each
- Frying temperature
- 170–175°C
- Final cooking
- 10–12 minutes on very low heat, followed by 10 minutes of resting