Mughlai biryani recipe

Ingredients

Basmati rice – 2 cups

Mutton – 500 gms

Lime - 1

Almonds or cashewnuts – ½ cup

A few spring mint

Ghee – 6 tbsp

Coriander leaves - ¼ bunch

Onions – 1 cup

Ginger – 1” piece

Green chilies (finely chopped)

Garlic – 3 flakes

Curd – 1 cup

Red chilies – 5

Milk - ½ cup

Turmeric powder – a pinch

Cardamom - 3

Cloves - 3

Cinnamon – 1 stick

Bay leaf -2

A pinch sweet cumin

A little saffron

Wheat flour paste enough to seal pan

Method

1. Wash, clean and cut the mutton into small pieces.

2. Peel and slice the onions, coriander leaves and mint.

3. Peel ginger and garlic. Grind ginger, red chilies, garlic and nuts into a fine paste. Heat ghee. Fry onions till golden brown and crisp.

4. Remove. Add bay leaf, ground masala, and fry.

5. Add tepid water and cook with lid on till meat is tender and gravy is thick.

6. Boil rice till three-fourths cooked. Add salt.

7. Meanwhile strain curds with a fine piece of muslin.

8. Add powdered cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, sweet cumin, turmeric, chopped green chilies, coriander leaves and mint.

9. Add limejuice and mix well. Add curds mixture to mutton. Stir well.

10. Dissolve saffron in some milk and sprinkle over half the rice.

11. In a strong pan put in layers of rice, mutton and fried onion.

12. Repeat till all ingredients are used up.

13. Pour remaining milk and fat over the rice. Cover pan and seal edges with wheat flour paste. 

14. Place in an oven 143ºC for one hour and serve very hot.