Eid Special: Mutton Biryani

By Culinary Inspiration

Ingredients

· 1kg leg of Mutton cut in big pieces. Wash & drain.

· ½ cup masoor (can add more if you like) boiled & drained.

· 3 onions finely chopped and fried till golden brown.

· 5 potatoes peeled, cut in half & fried till halfway done.

· 2 & ¾ cups basmati rice boiled. It must be firm. About 7 min.

Put meat in a dish and add:

· 3 cinnamon sticks

· 3 cloves

· 3 cardamom

· ½ cup lemon juice

· 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

· 1 teaspoon fine cumin powder (Jiro)

· 2 teaspoons fine coriander powder (dhana)

· 2 tablespoons biryani masala

· 2 tablespoons ginger garlic masala

· 1-2 teaspoons salt

· 3-4 whole green chillies (Optional)

· ½ teaspoon turmeric

· ½ teaspoon saffron soaked in 1/4 cup boiling water. (Add only ½ to meat mixture keep other ½ for rice)

· 1/4 teaspoon orange powder colouring in ¼ cup water

· Add some masoor to the meat. Add ¾ of the fried onions to the meat

· ½ cup frozen peas. Mix well. (Add more lemon juice if necessary)

Directions:

1. Add some masoor, some frozen peas, and a handful of fried onions to the boiled rice. Add the saffron water and colouring and mix. Set aside.

2. In a nice-sized pot, put 1/4 cup oil and 1/4 cup ghee.

3. Warm. Then add your Mutton and cook until almost done, adding water as needed. Once the meat is almost done, switch off. Then add some potatoes, then put rice over and a few potatoes. Steam an hour before serving in a preheated oven.

4. If you’d like to steam everything together, warm ghee and oil. Move off the stove. Set meat and some potatoes at the bottom. Put rice over the meat. Then, add a few potatoes. Leave in the fridge overnight.

5. Steam biryani for 40 minutes on high, 20 minutes on medium and 30 minutes on low heat. Add a little water for steaming. To see if biryani is done, put the back of a spoon in the center of the pot. Check if all water has dried out.