Ingredients
1. Mutton 1.5 Kg
2. Onion 7+2
3. Ginger garlic paste 1/2 cup
4. Tomato 4
5. Coriander leaves 1 cup
6. Mint leaves 1/2 cup , 3 strands with stem
7. Cashew nuts -1/2 cup
8. Kismis 1/4 cup
8. Poppy seeds 1.5 tbsp
9. Caraway seeds ,sajeerakam - 1tsp grounded
10. Curd - 2 tbsp
11. Lime juice of 1 small lemon
12. Mace ,jathipathri 4 strands
13. Green Chilly 12 ground to paste
14. Ghee
15. Oil
16. Salt
17. Basmati rice 1 Kg
18. Pineapple essence
Method
Wash mutton thoroughly. Cook mutton adding 3/4 tsp turmeric poweder. 1 tsp garam masala powder, salt, curry leaves. Pressure cook to 4 or 5 whistles and check if its cooked. If there is water , leave open the cooker and boil off the water until only a little gravy is left. This you will need for the masala.
Soak poppy seeds and cashewnuts in water and get them ground to a paste. Keep aside.
Add 7 sliced onions to a pan, and saute till golden brown. Add ginger garlic paste and saute.
Add green chilly paste and add sliced tomatoes once sauted. When tomatoes are soated well, add 1/4 cup coriander leaves and 1/4 cup mint leaves. Saute.
Add 2 tbsp curd, juice of 1 lemon - reduce if you dont like sourness much.
Add the ground poppy seeds and cashew nut paste at this stage.
Add enough salt.
Add the cooked mutton to the masala and mix everything well. Switch off after sometimes and keep the whole pan aside.
Make Ghee Rice by taking water, double the amount of rice used. Add cloves, pepper , star aise , salt while making ghee rice. Dont add too much ghee as we will be adding ghee while layering the biriyani.
Layering
Fry the 1/4 cup cashews and kismis, and 2 thinly sliced onions
Take away 1/2 of the masala and spread it evenly in the pan Put 1/2 of the cooked ghee rice above the masala. Put some mint leaves and coriander leaves. Put a drop of pineapple essence. Put a little caraway seeds grounded.Put a strand of Mace Add 2tbsp Ghee. Adjust this according to the ghee used in Ghee rice. Add some fried cashews, kismis and onions.
Now add the rest of the masala and spread it evenly. Add the remaining cooked ghee rice and repeat the same until you have finished your masala and rice. Make sure rice layer comes on top.
Put the three strands of mint leaves on top
'Dum' ming
Seal the biriyani pot with maida and cook in reheated oven for 30 minutes. Alteratively we can cook on stove top with the lowest flame.
I do this over the traditional fireplace by putting burnt hot coconut shells over the aluminium lid of the biriyani pot.
