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.
- 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.
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.
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.