Sahana’s muslim mutton biryani

Ingredients

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Cooking process

Preparing the mutton and the yakhni(broth)

This step could ideally be done in a pressure cooker but look at the end for the changed cooking times in case a pan with a lid is used instead

1. Heat up equal quantities of Oil and Ghee in the cooker (I found 2 Tbsp each to be the perfect quantity, can use more or less)
2. Add the whole spices for tempering
3. Once the cloves start sputtering, add in the Sliced Onions and whole Green Chillies
4. Cook until the onions turn brown and then add in the Ginger-Garlic Paste
5. Once the ginger-garlic paste has lost the raw smell (about 1-2 minute frying), add in the cut Tomatoes and the Red Chilli Powder
6. Once the tomatoes are done, mix in the Yogurt and cook for a few minutes
7. Now add in the washed Mutton pieces and season with Salt
8. Add the Coriander and Mint leaves and then fry the mutton in the gravy (without lid) for 5-10 minutes
9. Add 1- 1.25 cups water and then close the cooker
10. Wait for 3 whistles or roughly 15-20 minutes (20 minutes if the mutton pieces are bigger). Alternatively, if using a Pan with a lid, cook for 60-80 minutes on medium heat. This is for lamb, for goat meat, double the time
11. Once the mutton is cooked, strain out the broth (Yakhni), the rice will cook in it

Preparing the biryani

1. Soak the rice for 20 minutes (if it’s long-grained like Basmati or just wash it 2-3 times with cold water if it’s fine grained like Jeera Sambha)
2. Grease the pan in which the biryani will be prepared (different from the cooker used aboved) with 1 Tbsp Ghee
3. Add the soaked/washed Rice to the pan and fry in ghee on low-medium heat for 5 minutes
4. Now pour in the Broth (Yakhni), measured to 1.5 times the rice volume. Add Water, if necessary, to reach the volume. E.g., for 2.5 cups rice, add in 3.75-4 cups Yakhni
5. Balance the salt in the Yakhni so that it’s a little salty
6. Optionally, add in Kewra water/essence
7. Let it come to a boil and wait until the rice has started expanding before layering the cooked Mutton pieces on top so as to completely cover the rice (This would help in cooking the rice better)
8. Optionally, add in some Lemon juice if you want a more tangy biryani
9. Make a dum with the lid and Aluminium foil (or some other material) and cook on medium-low heat for 20-25 minutes
10. If the pan’s non-stick isn’t great, the dum can be opened midway and the rice should be mixed to prevent sticking at the bottom