Biryani Super Sunday

I have grown up in a family of cooks, and not just brilliant cooks, passionate cooks with legendary stories with home recipes cooked with oodles of love. So naturally I didn’t just grown up to appreciate good food and try exquisite things, but chopping, whipping, baking and donning the apron as soon as I could reach the stove. Growing up, cooking became more therapeutic and although now I rarely dabble, but every now and then, I do like to whip something up. This one was for  Father’s Day dinner – mutton biryani with no Nizam nor Nawab roots, just a plain simple recipe drenched in flavors, sincerity, and love.

Biryani Super Sunday

Serves 4 hungry people

Ingredients

  • Mutton – 1kg
  • Rice – about 500g
  • Ghee – 6tbsp
  • Onions roughly chopped – 3 big ones
  • Ginger and garlic roughly chopped – 2tbsp
  • Bay leaf – 3 full leaves
  • Black cardamom – 2
  • Green cardamom – 6
  • Cinnamon sticks – 2, at least 2″ each
  • Cloves – 4
  • Salt – to taste
  • Black peppercorns, freshly crushed – 1tbsp
  • Coriander powder – 3tpsp
  • Lemon – 1 medium
  • Turmeric and saffron to add color
  • Fresh coriander leaves to garnish

Marination

  • Wash and pat dry the mutton.

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  • Add 1 tsp salt and fresh lemon juice and toss it well and let it chill for a minimum of 4 hours to really let the juices sink into the meat.biryani (2)

Cooking the mutton –

  • Heat the ghee in a heavy bottom pan or kadhai till a crackling sound
  • Add the whole spices – bay leaves, cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon sticks, stir for about a minute
  • Add the ginger and garlic bits, fry till golden brown
  • Next, add the onions and cook till brown. Add
  • Time to add the mutton – add the mutton bits and cover to cook in its own juices. The trick to cooking mutton is achieving the right balance between the “bhuna” and the “gala” – simply put it should be well roasted and just as well done.
  • Add the salt as per your taste and coriander powder. Cook the mutton till just about done, it takes about an hour and a half to get really roasted.
  • Meanwhile, wash and soak the rice for half an hour, or depending on the rice you are using.
  • Transfer the rice and mutton in a pressure cooker and add enough water so the ensemble is fully immersed.
  • Cook for about three whistles. Open the cooker and randomly add the liquid turmeric and saffron to add a little color.
  • Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and hog away.

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Cooking the rice with the mutton adds a great deal of flavor to the rice as well, and well, taste simply delicious.
Tell us your favorite Sunday recipes and stay tuned for more.

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