Mutton Biryani

There are many varieties of Biryani, but the Muttton Biryani always has a special place in the hearts of Biryani Lovers.......Here's the recipe for the delicious Mutton Biryani.

For Rice:

• 4 cups Basmati Rice soaked for 30 minutes.
• 6 Cardamoms, 3 Cloves, 2 Bay Leaves, 2Anistar/ Biryani Flower, 1tsp. Sahajeera, 1tsp. mint leaves, 1tbsp. Oil/Ghee, Salt to taste.
• In a big pot bring water to a boil, add all the above spices, mix well. Add rice and continue to cook until the rice is almost done(should be grainy). It takes about 7-8 min. Drain the rice and keep aside.

Paste:

• Grind onion and green chillies into coarse paste and keep it aside.
• Grind coconut, cashews, ginger and garlic into fine paste(add little water) and keep it aside.
  

For Mutton Curry:

• 2lbs. Goat meat (clean, cut into pieces), 2tsp. shredded coconut, 2tsp. cashews, 10 cloves Garlic, 3''piece of ginger root, 1Medium Sized onion, 10 Green Chilies(adjust as per spice levels), 1cup chopped Mint Leaves, 1cup chopped Cilantro, Salt to Taste (sufficient for the meat), 2tsp. Chili Powder, 1tsp. Garam masala powder, 1tsp.Coriander powder, 1tsp.Jeera powder, 1tsp.Fennel powder, 1tsp. lime juice, 1/2 cup Oil, 1/4tsp.Kivra Water(optional).

Paste:

• Grind onion + green chillies into coarse paste and keep it aside.
  Grind coconut + cashews + ginger + garlic into fine paste(add little water) and keep it aside.

Stove top Method:

• We can cook the mutton curry in the pressure cooker or on the stove top(I did the curry on stove top). In a pan add oil, once it's hot add onion and chilli paste and cook til the raw smell of the onion is gone, now add the ground coconut, ginger and garlic paste and fry for 4min. then add chopped coriander, mint leaves and cook for a min.,then add red chilli powder, coriander powder, jerra powder, garam masala powder, salt and the cubed mutton pieces, cover and cook on medium heat(do not add any water) until the pieces are totally cooked(stir in between to avoid sticking), and the gravy is thick enough, now add the fennel powder, lime juice, mix well and turn off the heat and keep it aside.

Pressure Cooker Method:

• If using the Pressure cooker add oil in the cooker, once it is hot add onion and chilli paste and cook til the raw smell of the onion is gone(for about 5-7min.), now add the ground coconut,ginger and garlic paste and fry for 4min. then add chopped coriander, mint leaves and cook for a min.then add red chilli powder, coriander powder, jerra powder, garam masala powder, salt and the cubed mutton pieces and pressure cook for 5-6 whistles(do not any water), once the pressure in the cooker goes away, open it and cook it until all the water evaporates and form a thick gravy, now add fennel powder, lime juice on the meat and mix well.

For saffron Milk:

• ½ tsp.saffron strands, ½cup milk. Warm the milk and add saffron to the milk and keep it aside.

Layering:

• Arrange rice and meat in layers. Grease large baking tray with oil, layer half the rice at the bottom. Sprinkle some oil, fried onions and ½ the saffron milk. Layer the rice with meat followed by a layer of remaining rice. We should have 2 layers of rice and one layer of meat. Top it with saffron milk, kivra water and cover the tray with aluminum foil.
• Preheat the oven to 350F, and Bake the biryani for 20 min. Mix the rice and serve it with Raita or Shorva.