Mutton biryani Recipe

                Ingredients

 

To grind to a paste (for marination)

¼ cup Coriander Leaves (tightly packed)

4-5 Green Chilies (you may adjust as per preference)

16– 18 Garlic Cloves

3 inches Ginger Piece

1 teaspoon Peppercorns

5-6 Cardamom

6– 8 Cloves

To marinate the mutton

1 cup Thick Yoghurt

¼ cup Golden Fried Onions (birista)

½ tablespoon Garam Masala Powder

Salt To Taste

1 kilogram Lamb or Goat Meat on bone (Cut in medium sized peices)

For biryani gravy

8 tablespoons Vegetable Oil (divided)

5 Potatoes (medium, cut in large cubes)

2 Onions (large, finely sliced)

2 inch Cinnamon Stick

2 teaspoons Cumin Seeds

1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder

3-4 teaspoons Kashmiri Red Chili Powder

1 tablespoon Coriander Powder

Water as needed

2 Tomatoes (large , sliced )

4-5 Green Chilies (slit or sliced)

To cook the rice

4 cups Long Grain Basmati Rice

Water as needed

2– 3 Bay Leaves

1 ½ inch Cinnamon Sticks

1 teaspoon Caraway Seeds (shajeera) or Cumin Seeds

3– 4 Cloves

5– 6 Green Cardamom

1 Star Anise

1 tablespoon Ghee

For layering the biryani

¼ cup Mint leaves

3 tablespoons Ghee

A generous pinch of saffron soaked in 4 tablespoons of milk

⅓ cup caramalised onions or fried onions (Birista)

               Instructions

Preparation and marination

• Add all the ingredients mentioned under "masalas to grind to paste" into a blender and blend everything together to a fine paste.
  

• In a large bowl, add ground masala paste, ¼ cup birista, whisked yogurt and garam masala powder along with salt.
  

• Add clean and washed mutton and mix well. Allow the mutton to marinate for atleast 2 hours under refrigeration. (preferable - overnight)
  

• Clean and wash biryani rice and soak it for 45 minutes, strain the rice and set it aside.
  

Making the biryani gravy

• Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan, add potato cubes.  Fry the potatoes until golden, take them out and set it aside.
  

• Heat reamining oil in a handi, add sliced onions, salt and fry until pink and soft. Add cinnamon sticks and cumin seeds and cook

• Fry until the onions starts picking up golden colour, do not over brown or burn it.
  

• Add marinated mutton and saute on high 5-6 minutes until raw small goes off.
  

• Add turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander powder and mix.
  

• Add 2 cups of water, cover and cook the mutton until tender. Keep stirring at regular intervals, if water dries up, you may add more.
  

• Add tomato slices, fried potatoes and chilies and cook for another 6-8 minutes.
  

• Carefully scoop out the layer of oil in a bowl and set it aside for later use.
  

Cook the biryani rice

• In a large pot, add enough water, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, shajeera (or cumin seeds), cloves, cardamom, star anise, ghee and salt. Bring it to a boil.
  

• Once the water starts boling, strain the soaked rice and add into boiling water.
  

• Cook the rice until 90 percent done. Immediately strain the water and set the rice aside.

Layer and slow cook (dum) the biryani

• In a large pot in which you want to dum (slow cook) the biryani, add half the cooked rice as a bottom layer.
  

• Add cooked mutton masala and spread evenly.
  

• Sprinkle mint leaves, 1 tablespoon ghee, ½ of the soaked saffron and birista on the mutton.Add the remaining rice over the mutton layer evenly.
  

• Add remaining ghee, saffron milk and reserved oil that we scooped out from the mutton masala.

• Put a clean cotton cloth over the top and cover it with the lid putting heavy weight on the top of the lid

• Dum the mutton biryani for 20 minutes, first on high flames for 5 minutes and then simmer for 15 minutes. Let it to rest for 15 minutes.
  

• Carefully dish it out, serve steaming hot biryani with raita of your choice.
  

                   Notes

1 You can choose to skip potatoes if you do not like or prefer it.

2 I have made biryani masala gravy in a pot, but you can make it in pressure cooker as well. Pressure cooking will save the time.

3 If you are making masala in pressure cooker, then do not add too much water as it will make watery masala base for the biryani. ¾ to 1 cup of water is good enough to pressure cook the mutton. Pressure cook it upto 2-3 whistles only. Mutton will further be cooking with rice.

4 Also, add tomatoes, fried potatoes and chilies after the mutton is pressure cooked for 2 whistles. Cook the biryani gravy for 5-6 minutes (without the lid