Ingredients:
• For the lamb (mutton):
• 500 g Mutton – (lamb)
• 100 ml – yogurt/ curd, whisked
• 2 tsp – Ginger – Garlic paste ( fresh and homemade )
• 1 tsp – salt ( or to taste )
• 1/2 tsp – Turmeric powder
• Other ingredients
• 2 tbsp – oil
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 5 Cloves
• 5 Cardamoms
• 5 Cinnamon sticks (1 – inch size)
• 4 onions, finely sliced
• 5 green chillies, slit lengthwise
• 3 tbsp – Ginger – Garlic paste (fresh and homemade)
• 2 tsp – Red Chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp – Turmeric powder
• 2 tsp -coriander powder
• 3 Tomatoes (pick well ripe), cut into thick slices
• 1.5 tsp – salt (or to taste)
• 2 tbsp – chopped Coriander leaves
• 2 tbsp – chopped Mint leaves
• Ingredients
• 1 tsp – Ghee
• 4 black Cardamom
• 4 -cloves
• 1/2 tsp – Fennel seeds
• 5 -peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp – salt
• 2 cups / 400 ml – basmati Rice
• 6 cups – water
• Ingredients
• 3 tbsp – Ghee / oil
• 2- onion, thinly sliced
• 10- Cashew nuts splits (or more)
• 10- Raisins (or more)
• 2 tbsp – chopped Mint and Coriander leaves
• 1/4 tsp – Saffron diluted in 2 tbsp – Milk (optional)
• 1 tbsp – Ghee
• Maida dough for the seal (depending upon the size of the pan / pot)
• 1 tbsp – chopped Coriander leaves
Method:
- For the lamb (mutton):
- Wash and clean mutton pieces. Drain out water completely.
- Marinate mutton pieces with ginger – garlic paste, turmeric powder, whisked yogurt and salt.
- Cover and keep aside for half an hour.
- For the masala:
- Dilute red chilli powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder in 2 tbsp water (spice mix). Keep aside.
- In a pan, heat oil or ghee and add whole spices (bay leaf, cloves, cardamoms and cinnamon stick).
- Fry on low heat until fragrant.
- Add sliced onions and fry till golden colour on low to medium heat.
- Add slit green chilli and stir well.
- Add ginger – garlic paste and stir well for 2 – 3 minutes or until the raw smell goes.
- Add diluted spice mix (red chilli powder – turmeric powder – coriander powder) and stir well on low heat for 2 – 3 minutes or until well blended and water dries up.
- Add sliced tomatoes.
- Stir well for 4 – 5 minutes or until the tomatoes are well mixed with onions and other spices / tomato gravy thickens.
- Add chopped mint and coriander leaves. Mix well.
- At this point, add marinated mutton pieces (along with thick yogurt / curd) and salt to taste. Cover with a tight lid and cook on a low to medium heat for 40 – 50 minutes or until mutton pieces softens and gravy thickens ( you may get approximately 3/4 – 1 cup thick gravy).
- For the rice:
- In a pan, heat ghee. Add peppercorns, fennel seeds, cardamom and cloves and fry till fragrant.
- Put all the fried spices, salt and ghee in water and boil. Add rice, and cook until 3/4th done (do not overcook rice. Each rice grain should be separated).
- Remove whole spices when assembling.
- Final preparation:
- Heat oil / ghee in a pan and add sliced onions and fry until golden brown and crisp on medium to low heat. Keep aside.
- Add cashew nut splits and fry on low heat until golden colour. Keep aside.
- Add raisins and fry on a low heat until golden colour. Keep aside.
- Dum method:
- In a heavy – bottomed vessel or biryani pot or thick non-stick kadai, spread a layer of lamb (mutton) masala (along with half portion of thick gravy) and half portion of cooked rice.
- Make 2 layers with cooked rice and mutton masala. Sprinkle 1 tbsp ghee, golden onions, saffron solution (optional), chopped coriander – mint leaves and shallow fried raisins and cashew nuts.
- Gently put a wet soft towel over it. It will help to retain the flavour of the biryani.
- Cover with a tight lid.
- Seal with maida dough on the edges of the lid.
- Heat a heavy – bottomed iron kadai.
- Keep biryani pot over it and cook on a low heat for 30 minutes.
- You can find a colour change on the maida seal. Switch off the heat and keep aside for another 15 minutes.
- Open the seal carefully.
- Decorate with chopped coriander and mint leaves. Serve hot with raita, pickle, boiled egg.
- Recipe Courtesy: Niya’s World
Recipe courtesy of Niya