Mutton Biryani is a hearty dish, sure to win the admiration of your guests. It consists of layers of saffron-infused rice and mutton, cooked in a method known as ‘Dum”.
Use the best basmati rice for this recipe:
Mutton Biryani:
Ingredients:
For the rice-
- Star anise-1
- Washed and drained basmati rice-500 gm
- Bay leaves-2
- Black cardamom -2
- Black cumin seeds -2 tsp
- Black peppercorn-6
- Green cardamom-6
- 1 inch cinnamon sticks-2
- Cloves -6
- Fennel-1tsp
- Jaiphal- ¼
- Javitri-1
- Salt-3tsp
For Marinating Mutton:
- Mutton cut into pieces of 2 inches -1 kg
- Garam masala- 1 tbsp.
- Garlic paste-1 tbsp.
- Ginger paste- 1tbsp
- Paste of raw papaya- 3tbsp
- Hung curd- 4 tbsp.
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Red chili powder-1 tbsp.
- Salt-1/2 tsp
Other Ingredients:
- Thinly sliced oninons-4
- Chopped tomatoes-2
- warm milk- ¼ cup
- Ghee
- Saffron strands-a few
- Oil
- Kewra essence
- Rose water
- Green chillies-4
Method:
For marinating mutton:
- Add curd, raw papaya paste, ginger garlic paste, salt, chili powder, garam masala and lime juice to the mutton.
- Allow to marinate for 3 hours.
Preparing onions:
- Slice onions thinly. Fry in pan with oil till golden brown.
- Keep stirring constantly while frying.
- Keep fried onion on a plate lined with paper.
Cooking the mutton:
- Heat ghee in pan with thick bottom.
- Add rest of sliced onions with green chili. Cook till golden brown.
- Add ginger- garlic paste and combine well.
- Add the marinated mutton and cook on high heat (7 to 8 minutes).
- Add red chili powder, cumin powder and coriander powder. Mix well.
- Stir into this, three cups of water. Bring to boil.
- Reduce heat and cook covered till mutton is cooked.
- Add garam masala, salt, tomatoes and coriander leaves.
- Cook on medium heat while stirring till ghee separates from spices.
Preparing Rice:
- Soak basmati rice for 20 minutes in water. Wash and drain.
- Take cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, jaiphal, javitri, black peppercorn, star anise and shahi jeera in a piece of cloth and tie into knot (potli).
- Boil 750 ml of water and add rice,potli, bay leaf, and salt.
- Cook till rice is done by one-third.
- Remove Potli and drain rice.
For Saffron Milk:
- Add few saffron strands to ¼ cup of milk
- Keep for 20 minute and add rose water and kewra essence.
- Combine well and keep away.
Layering the Biryani:
- Take a heavy bottom pan with tight lid.
- Add 2tbsp Ghee to the pan. Keep on low heat till pan is covered with ghee. Take off heat.
- Add a layer of cooked rice, followed by cooked pieces of meat, fried onion slices, ghee and sprinkle saffron milk.
- Continue to build up layers or rice and meat. Rice will start and finish in the layers.
- Garnish with chopped coriander and mint, slit green chilies and fried onions. Add juice of half a lemon.
- Put on the lid. Secure pan with aluminium foil. Cook on very light heat. This is the ‘Dum’ process of cooking which must be done for 40 minutes.
- After this time, take Biryani off heat and allow to stand for 10 minutes.
- Serve hot along with salad.
This is one of the most delicious recipes that use Basmati rice. Basmati rice is growing popular globally and there is a great demand for organic basmati rice from India. It is unmatched for its texture, flavour, aroma and nutritional value.