Fragrant

Mutton Biryani

: A Flavorful Indian Delight

For marinating the mutton, blend onion paste, ginger-garlic paste, green chili paste, turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt, 1 tsp biryani masala, and fried onions with plain curd. Let the mutton soak in this flavorful mixture for 2-4 hours.

• In a cooker or deep-bottomed pan, heat the oil used for frying onions. Temper it with bay leaf, dry red chili, mace, cinnamon, and cardamom. Add the marinated mutton and mix well. Cover the cooker without the whistle and cook over low flame for approximately 1 hour or until the mutton is 70% cooked. No need to add water as the mutton will cook in its own juices. Once cooked, you'll notice the flavorful oily substance separating, enhancing the taste of the biryani.
• Take medium-sized boiled and peeled potatoes. In a pan, heat 1 tsp oil and fry the potatoes with ¼ tsp of turmeric until golden brown on both sides. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large vessel, bring 2 liters of water to a boil. Prepare a potli with the spices mentioned for biryani. Boil the spice potli in the water for about 30 minutes until the water changes color to light brown. Add soaked rice to the boiling water along with 2 tsp salt. Cook until the rice is 70% done. Drain the water, cover the rice, and set it aside. Mix saffron and a pinch of yellow food color with milk in a separate bowl and set it aside.

To prepare the biryani, start by greasing the inner side of a handi with 2 tbsp of ghee. Layer the cooked mutton along with its gravy at the bottom of the handi. Then, add ⅓ of the cooked rice on top. Sprinkle ⅓ of the biryani masala and fried onions, followed by ⅓ of the saffron-infused milk and a drop of biryani essence. Repeat this layering process: add another layer of ⅓ of the rice, biryani masala, fried onions, saffron milk, and biryani essence. Finally, place boiled eggs and fried potatoes on top. Cover the handi with a lid and seal it with a soft whole wheat flour dough. Cook over low heat for around 15 minutes. Once the dough becomes tough, indicating that the biryani is cooked, turn off the heat and let it sit without opening the seal for another 15 minutes. Before serving, lightly mix the biryani with a spatula. Enjoy this delicious dish!