Mutton Biriyani This fragrant, colourful rice is almost a meal in itself.
Ingredients
For rice:
1.
1 ¼ kg Basmati or
Suduru Samba rice
2.
10" pandan leaf
3.
5" cinnamon stick
4.
2 tsp salt
5.
225 g cashew
6.
100 g ghee
7.
350 g big onions, sliced
8.
2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
9.
4 - 5 strands of saffron
10.
5 - 6 drops of rose essence
11.
5 - 6 hard-boiled eggs
12.
½ cup milk
*For spice powder:
1.
20 cardamoms
2.
10 cloves
3.
5" cinnamon
4.
½ nutmeg
For mutton curry:
1.
1 kg mutton with
bones, cubed roughly 2"x2"
2.
500 g tomatoes chopped
3.
500 g curd
4.
2 tsp salt
5.
Red, yellow and green food colouring
6.
100 g ghee
7.
100 g big onions, sliced
8.
1 ½" ginger root, chopped
9.
10 pods of garlic
10.
30 mint leaves
11.
16 green chili
12.
½ tsp turmeric powder
13.
½ cup coconut, grated and roasted
golden brown
14.
1 - 2 tsp chili powder
15.
2 tsp spice powder*
16.
2 tbsp coriander leaves
Serves 12 - 14
Method
Spice Powder:
1.
Heat a dry pan and add all the ingredients.
2.
Swirl the spices until warm and fragrant.
3.
Grind into a fine powder.
Mutton curry:
1.
In a clean bowl mix mutton cubes, tomatoes, curd and salt.
Leave in the refrigerator for 2 - 3 hours.
2.
Grind ginger, garlic, mint and green chili into a fine
paste.
3.
Heat ghee in a large, heavy-bottom saucepan and fry the
onions till golden.
4.
Add the ground paste, roasted coconut, turmeric and chili
powder. Fry for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
5.
Add the marinated mutton and cook until the mutton is
¾ done.
6.
Remove from fire.
7.
Sprinkle with spice powder and the coriander leaves.
Rice:
1.
Wash the rice and put it into a large saucepan. Add the
pandan leaf and the cinnamon stick.
2.
Add hot water to the rice. The water level must be 1"
above the level of the rice. Bring to boil. When the rice
is ¾ cooked, drain away the excess water.
3.
Spread rice on a large, flat tray or plate and leave to
cool.
4.
Sprinkle with salt.
5.
Sprinkle a few drops of coloring onto the rice. Using
gloved fingers, mix the rice until there are red, yellow
and green rice grains among the white rice grains.
6.
Heat the ghee and fry the cashews. As soon as the cashews
start turning golden, remove from fire and leave on top
of a kitchen paper-towel to drain excess oil.
7.
In the remaining fat, fry the onions until golden brown
and set aside on a kitchen paper-towel.
Assembling the Biriyani:
1.
Pour the mutton curry into a large, oven-proof glass bowl
or container.
2.
Sprinkle half the fried cashews and quarter of the fried
onions over the mutton curry.
3.
Spread half the rice on top of the mutton curry.
4.
Sprinkle the remaining fried cashews, onions and the coriander
leaves.
5.
Spread the remaining rice on top. Pour the milk on top
of the rice.
6.
Heat a pan and lightly warm the saffron strands. Crush
the strands with gloved fingers. Add ½ cup warm water to
it. Mix rose essence with ¼ cup water.
7.
Sprinkle the saffron mixture and the rose essence water
over the rice.
8.
Nicely arrange the hard-boiled eggs on top.
9.
Make a stiff dough with flour and water. Roll into a thick
slab.
10.
Cover the rice dish with this slab, ensuring no steam
escapes.
11.
Place the iron griddle under the rice dish, so that it
does not get too hot. Cook over high heat for 5 - 7 minutes,
reduce heat and cook over low heat 40 - 60 minutes. Serve
hot.
Ramadan Festive Food
