Mutton Dum Biriyani

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Description:
Dum biriyani brings out the flavour of all the spices and meat or vegetable in the process of slow cooking.

Ingredients:
1. Mutton - 1kg
2. Basmati rice - 4 cups
3. Coriander leaves
4. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspn
5. Chilli powder - 2tspn
6. Coriander powder - 2tspn
7. Garam masal -1tspn
8. Black pepper corns - 1tspn
9. Cinnamon stick
10. Cloves - 5 to 6
11. Star anise
12. Black cardamom
13. Cumin seeds - 1/2tspn
14. Curd - 1/2cup
15. Onion - 2(medium)
16. Green chillies - 3
17. Ginger
18. Garlic
19. Bay leaf
20. Saffron(a pinch)
21. Oil & Ghee - 2tspn
22. Salt to taste

Procedure:
Soak the basmati rice for 45minutes to 1hour. Clean  and cut the mutton into small cubes. Crush the ginger, garlic and green chillies. Take a bowl and transfer the crushed ingredients into it. Add the cloves, black cardamom, black pepper corns, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala, salt and mix properly. Then add the curd  and mix. Check for the salt. Chop the coriander leaves and add. Finally goes in the mutton pieces and pour some oil on top. Mix properly till all the mutton pieces are coated with the masala. Check for salt.  Keep this aside to marinate atleast for an hour. If marinated overnight then it will be great.

Slice the onions into very thin pieces. Pour oil in a wok for deep frying the oil. Fry till the onions start to change color, but don`t wait till they turn golden brown in oil. When you see the onions are starting to change color immediately take them out. Fry in batches.

Take a deep bottom vessel and fill it with water. Add some salt. Then add the cumin seeds, bay leaves, cinnamom stick, ghee and star anise. Allow the water to boil and then add the cleaned basmati rice. Give occassional stirs in between.

 Meanwhile take a flat bottom vessel and assemble the marinated mutton pieces. Don`t over crowd the mutton pieces. Assemble as much as possible in one layer and if more pieces are left use another vessel to cook one more batch of biriyani simultaneously. On top of the mutton spread the fried onions. By this time the rice will be 30-40% cooked. Take a sieve and start taking out the rice in batches. Spread them over the fried onions. Soak the safforn in little warm milk and pour it over the rice. Drop in little ghee too.

We can keep the dum in two ways. One is to make a dough with wheat/atta. Cover the vessel with the lid and seal them tight with the dough so that no air can escape while cooking. This is a traditional and time consuming method. I will upload recipe with dough sealing soon. For this recipe I used a not so difficult method for dum. Take 2 big rectangular pieces of aluminium foil and cover the top of the vessel(Double seal). Then on top place the lid of the vessel and over it place a weight. The biriyani will be tightly sealed and no air will escape while cooking. First place the biriyani vessel on stove over medium heat. Cook for 10 minutes. Take a frying pan and place it on the stove. Let it get hot then place the biriyani vessel on it. Reduce the flame to low/medium and allow it to cook for 40-45 minutes.

Let the biriyani  cool down a bit and then open the dum and check. The tasty Mutton dum biriyani will be ready. Serve with side dish of your choice/raita.