Mutton Biryani - Apni Favourite

Biryani originated from Persia. Mumtaz Mahal called Biryani  “A Complete Meal” to feed her army. Today it is one of our most cherished dishes. It is also said that to test your biryani you should throw a spoonful of rice on the floor and no two grains should meet that’s the perfect old age biryani. I have tried to provide a recipe which does pass the test.…J

Ingredients

400 Gms Mutton

2 Cups Onions (Sliced)

2 Cups Rice

½ Tspn Jeera

½ Tspn Garam Masala

1/3rd Cup Curd

1 Blanched Tomato (Chopped)

2 Potatoes (Cut in squares)

¼ Kg Ghee

4-5 Tbspn Milk

2 Tspn Lime Juice

Saffron to Taste

Salt to Taste

Corriander Leaves to Garnish

Ingredients for the Masala Paste

1 Tbspn Poppy seeds

7-8 Garlics

2” Ginger piece

1 Tspn Corriander seeds

1 Tspn Cumin Seeds

3 Red Chillies

½ Tspn Turmeric Powder

A few Mint Leaves

A few Corriander Leaves

A pinch Garam Masala

Method

1. Grind to a fine paste the poppy seeds, red chillies, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, ginger and garlic. Separately grind the mint leaves, coriander leaves with garam masala.
2. Fry the cubed potatoes in oil till nice and crisp.
3. Boil sufficient water with salt and jeera and the garam masala. Add washed rice to it and cook till the rice is ¾ cooked. Drain the water and keep aside.
4. Fry the sliced onions till golden brown and crisp. Remove little onion for garnishing. In the rest of onions add the masala paste with salt and haldi and fry it well. Add little water if needed.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook till tomatoes are mixed well.
6. Add the mutton and cook till mutton is completely cooked. When the gravy dries up add the curd with cubed fry potatoes and the green masala. Cook for a while and remove from fire.
7. Take little lime juice in a cup and dissolve saffron in it. Colour half the rice with this saffron and keep rest aside.
8. Take a clean dekchi and grease it up with little ghee. Arrange the white rice sprinkle little milk on the rice, then a layer of mutton mixed with fried potatoes and top it up with a layer of the yellow rice.
9. Cover the dekchi with a tight lid  and put on very slow flame and cook it till the rice is completely cooked.
10. Serve hot with fried crisp onion and coriander leaves on top.