Mutton Biriyani In Kannur Style

Ingredients

• Mutton - 1 lb(500 gms) -Large pieces
• Chili Powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Yogurt - 1 tbsp
• Gharam powder - As required
• Ginger - One piece - thinly sliced
• Green Chili -2 -thinly sliced
• Garlic - 2 large pods(10 small pods) - thinly sliced
• Onion - 1/2 medium size - sliced
• Tomato - 1 small - sliced
• water - 1/2 cup(for cooking mutton)
• salt - according to taste
• Basmati Rice - 2 cups ( v prefer biryani rice)
• Onion 1 medium - sliced thinly for frying
• Raisins and Cashews(Optional)
• Water - 4 cups
• Ghee - 2 tsp
• Vegetable oil - 2 tsp
• Pudina and coriander leaves -thinly chopped

Preparation method:

Wash mutton(do not use lamb from US grocery stores) and add chili powder, turmeric powder,gharam masala(try using whole masala like cloves, cinnamon, star anise, basil leaves for best taste). Coarse grind Green chili, garlic and ginger and add to mutton. Marinate the mutton pieces with yogurt onion tomato add salt and keep aside for 15 minutes .

Cook the mutton with 1/2 cup of water in pressure cooker till soft(3-4 whistles)

Warm up the 4 cups of water near boil.

Open the pressure cooker and separate out mutton pieces.

Measure the remaining liquid in Mutton with cup.

Wash the Basmati rice with water and drain the water.

In a thick bottom vessel(must have a properly fitting lid), add the oil and ghee and heat it.

Fry the onion slices over low heat until golden brown and keep it aside.

Fry Cashew and raisins and keep it aside.

Add the basmati rice to the oil and fry for 1 minute(just warm up only, so that rice is covered with oil) Add the remaining liquid from Mutton to the rice

Add the enough warm water so that total liquid in rice is around 3 and 1/2 cups.

Add salt to taste Add some gharam masala or whole spices.

Cook the rice at high heat till the water starts boil and cover the lid and Cook at low heat till the rice absorbs all the water(This is the tricky as there are chances that rice sticks to the bottom if dries up, or the rice is not cooked properly, make sure the the water used is slightly less than the amount of rice and cook at low heat and check the rice when you see the steam coming out of the rice almost stops)

Fry the Mutton in a Non stick Pan for 3 minutes, enough to turn the color on sides and dry it.

In a baking pan add 1/2 of the rice as a layer and then add the mutton pieces and spread half of the pudina and coriander leaves and the fried onions ,cashew and raisins.

Spread the remaining rice and spread some Gharam masala on top of the rice and cover with aluminium foil and bake it at 300 degree F for 25- minutes.

Garnish with remaining Pudina and Coriander leaves, fried onions , cashew and raisins.

Eat with raitha pickle and papad.

You can replace the ingredients with ginger garlic paste, biriyani masala etc.