Mutton Biryani

Mutton Biryani

Ingredients

Basmati rice (washed and drained) - 500 gms
Mutton (cut into 2'' pieces) - 1 kg
Ginger-garlic paste - 30 g
Big onions (sliced fine and fried till crisp) - 5
Red chilli powder -2 tablespoon
Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
2" pieces raw papaya made into paste
Beaten curd - 1 ½ cups
Saffron (dissolved in warm milk) - 2 pinches
Juice of a lemon
Green chillies - 2 , slit lengthwise

Powder the following masala ( spices ):

Dalchini ( cinnamon ) - 4 pieces
Masala elaichi (cardamom ) - 2
Green elaichi ( green cardamom ) - 6
Lavang ( cloves ) - 6
Tej patta ( bay leaves ) - 3
Kalimirchi (pepper ) - 1 teaspoon
Shahijeera -1 teaspoon

For the rice one requires the following whole masala:

Masala elaichi ( cardamom ) - 1
Dalchini ( cinnamon ) - 2 pieces
Green elaichi ( green cardamom ) - 2
Lavang ( clove ) - 3
Ghee or refined oil - 5 tablespoon
A handful of chopped pudina and coriander leaves
Salt to taste

Method

To the mutton add the beaten curd, ginger-garlic paste, raw papaya paste, chilli powder, haldi, powdered masala, salt and half of the crushed fried onions. Allow the mutton to marinate for 3 hours.

Heat water (2 ½ times more than the rice). As soon as it boils, add the whole masala, rice and salt to taste. Cook the rice till ¾ done and then drain in the colander. Remove the whole masala.

Melt the ghee and set aside.

To assemble: 

Take a heavy-bottomed dekchi and add the marinated mutton and ½ of the melted ghee.

Cover with chopped pudina and coriander leaves, fried onion and slit green chillies and juice of half a lemon. Spread the rice over this. Sprinkle the remaining ghee, saffron milk and lemon juice.

Cover and seal the dekchi with atta paste. Place over high heat for 20-25minutes.

Lower heat and cook for another45 minutes. Serve hot.