Mutton Biryani

Hi Guys !

If you have been following me, you'd know by now that we have 'Friday Biryani Lunch Fest' (thats what i'm calling it)

It gets quite boring actually, what if I want to eat biryani some other day of that week? or for dinner? 

It was always made for dinner at my mother's house, and whenever we wanted. There was no specified day for it. 

Well these things dont matter, what matters is that it gets quiet monotonous and boring to make biryani every week.

To make it a little interesting, we are always on a lookout for new biryani recipes.

This recipe is my sister-in-law's, who found it somewhere on the internet.

Serves: 5-6

For Marination:

1 kg of Mutton/Beef/Chicken (I used mutton)

1 cup Yogurt

1 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste

4 tbsp of Raw Papaya Paste

Salt to taste

1 tsp of Red Chili Powder

1 tsp of Garam Masala Powder

Juice of 1 Lemon

For The Rice:

700 grams of Rice

4-5 Cloves

6-8 Black Peppercorns

2 Star anise (you can skip this, if you don't have it on hand)

1 Bay Leaf 

1 tsp Fennel Seeds (Saunf)

1-2 sticks of Cinnamon

2 Black Cardamom

2-3 Green Cardamom

1/4 Nutmeg (Jaifal) you can skip this, if you don't have it on hand, but it does give a beautiful aroma

1 Mace (Javatri) You can skip this too.

2 tsp Salt

Other Ingredients:

4 Onions (sliced)

2 medium Tomatoes (chopped)

2 Potatoes 

1 tsp Ginger Garlic paste

4 green Chilies (chopped)

1 1/2 tsp of Red Chili Powder 

1 tsp Coriander Powder

1/2 tsp Cumin Powder (Zeera Powder)

1/2 tsp Garam Masala Powder 

1/4 cup Milk

a few Saffron strands

Yellow Food Coloring

To Boil Rice, add all the spiced to a small cloth. Tie a knot and put it in the water with bay leaf. 

OR

You can put them in the water without the cloth. 

Boil rice till ALMOST done.

Drain in a colander, pass under cold water (this prevents rice from sticking together during dam)

Keep aside.

Marinate Meat with the Marination Ingredients (see above)

Leave for at least 6 hours. Leave overnight if possible.

Fry 2 Onions till golden brown and crispy. Take out and keep aside.

Heat oil/ghee in a heavy bottom pan, add the remaining 2 onions and green chilies. Cook till golden.

Add Ginger garlic paste, cook till fragrant.

Add potatoes at this stage (if you are adding) and a little water. Cook covered on low flame till the potatoes are fork tender.

Add the marinated meat...

...Red Chili powder, Cumin powder and Coriander Powder.

Cook on high for 7-8 minutes

When the oil seperates, add 2-3 glasses of water and let it cook on medium flame till the meat is tender.

Add tomatoes, garam masala powder...

...and coriander leaves.

Cover and cook for 10 minutes till thick like Korma.

Add Saffron to warm milk. Leave for 20 minutes.

To Layer.

Add half of the korma in the bottom,

followed by crispy Onions and mint leaves

add half of the rice

Pour saffron infused milk on the rice.

Repeat 1 more time.

On Top:

Sprinkle Cumin

Mint Leaves

Drops of yellow food coloring

Tarka of Onions.

Make sure the pan is heavy bottomed. Or put a flat tawa on the stove, than put the pan on top of the tawa. 

Put on Dam for 30-35 minutes.

Take out and serve with Mint raita and Salad.

Brace prepare yourself for all the praise you are going to get !! 

Enjoy!