Straight from the land of Nizams, Hyderabadi Mutton Biryani is a regal dish that does not need any special mention or patronage.
Many prefer eating it with raita, salad; the original “Zayka” of this dish lies in savoring every nibble as it is. Check out the recipe.
Here are some more Biryani recipes, that you can try for your festive meals – Mushroom Biryani, Egg Dum Biryani, Hyderabadi Fish Biryani, Kathal Biryani, Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani, and Hyderabadi Vegetable Dum Biryani.
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About This Recipe
I get hungry with the mere name of ‘Biryani’ and my favourite one is this Hyderabadi Mutton Biryani.
Prepared with passion for the culinary legacy of the Nizams, this mutton rice recipe is made with the choicest basmati rice, fried onions, marinated mutton, and more.
Layers of a spicy mutton masala topped with whole spices flavoured rice, ghee, and lots of fried onions. My mouth is literally watering thinking about it!
Biryani in Hyderabad is made using two techniques. Both these variations are slightly different from each other but the end result in both is phenomenal.
One is Kacche Gosht Ki Biryani where the Mutton is not cooked before layering with rice and the other one is Pakke Gosht Ki Biryani or Pakki Biryani where the mutton is cooked with spices and then layered with rice.
So, bookmark both the recipes and save this delicious recipe for a special lunch or dinner.
This Mutton Biryani is,
- Lip Smacking
- Additive
- Full of Spices
- Apt for your Eid meals
- Perfect for Pot Lucks
Ingredients
To make this dish, you will need some time on your hands and it needs a little effort too. But the ingredients used to make the biryani are rather simple.
To cook the rice, you will need Rice, Whole Spices, Shahi Jeera, and Salt. Use long grain basmati rice for best result.
The whole spices are tied up in a potli or a Bouquet Garni and then boiled with rice, salt, ginger garlic paste, green chili paste, and shahi jeera so that the rice gets the subtle flavors from the potli and the whole spices do not overpower the taste of steamed rice.
I also add a few drops of Kewra Essence for a very traditional flavor.
For the mutton masala, you will need – mutton (with bones), raw papaya paste, ginger paste, garlic paste, garam masala powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, vegetable oil, green chili paste, lemon juice, curd, mint, coriander, and golden fried onion.
If you are making Pakke Mutton Ki Biryani, you can avoid adding the raw papaya paste.
Once the layers of the above two are done, it is topped with milk, saffron soaked in water, golden brown onion and ghee.
You can also add in some chopped mint leaves and coriander leaves and fried dry fruits.
Step by Step Pakki Mutton Biryani Recipe
To make Pakki Mutton Biryani, the marinated mutton is cooked in pressure cooker with spices until it is tender. This cooked mutton is then layered with rice.
We don’t use raw papaya in this recipe as the mutton doesn’t need a tenderizer.
For the Mutton:
Wash the mutton and mix it well with curd, green chilli paste, ginger garlic paste, golden fried onion, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, cumin powder, salt and lemon juice.
Marinate the mutton for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add onion and fry until onion turns golden brown.
Add the marinated mutton and fry on high heat for 4-5 minutes.
Now add 1 cup of water and pressure cook until mutton is tender.
Remove the lid of the cooker and cook the mutton until most of the water is evaporated.
Add coriander and mint and mix well. Keep it aside.
For the rice:
To make potli masala, tie green cardamom, cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon and star anise in a small cloth piece.
Wash the rice and soak in water for 40-45 minutes.
Heat water in a large pot. Add potli masala, ghee, salt, shahi zeera, ginger garlic paste, green chilli paste and kewra essence in the pot and bring the water to a boil.
Add rice and mix.
Cook until it is 90% cooked. Drain the rice and keep aside.
Assembling the Biryani:
Transfer the cooked mutton in a heavy bottom pan.
Top with drained rice and spread evenly.
Sprinkle ¼ cup milk, saffron soaked in water, golden brown onion and ghee on top.
Cover the pan tightly with a lid. Place the pan on a very slow heat for 20-25 minutes.
Remove the lid and mix the biryani gently. Serve hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
The traditional Potli Masala recipe has many unusual ingredients, but since it is not easy to source them, I have a mix that is easy to find and you don’t have to compromise on taste too.
To make Potli Masala, tie 2 g green cardamom, 2 g cloves, 2 g bay leaves, 2 g cinnamon and 2 g star anise in a small cloth piece and add in the pan while cooking the rice.
Both the taste and visual appeal of Biryani should stand out in its preparation.
Now while this recipe takes care of the taste, the visual appeal comes only through rice grains.
Longer the grain better would be the biryani. I always choose the rice which is extra-long and stands out as individual grains. Some people also use Sela rice.
It is a variation of Basmati Rice which has a long grain and becomes fluffy when cooked and thus tastes great in this biryani.
In the market, you now even get specially selected long grain Basmati Rice, which is perfect for this Biryani.
I have used Fortune Biryani Special Rice to make this one. The age of rice is also very crucial. Choose the rice grain which is at least 1 year old. The older the rice, the better it is.
To make Biryani in a rice cooker, treat it exactly similar to the pan, and follow the same steps.
Cook the rice separately and layer it in the rice cooker for dum cooking.
Rice cooker traps a lot of steam and that will help to cook the mutton through.
When rice is cooked with spices and water together, everything mixes with each other and it is no more a biryani.
Biryani has to be layered, with each layer having its own importance.
So if you see posts on how to make biryani in an Instant Pot, that’s the wrong method to make it.
Call it a pulao, a delicious one, but for heaven’s sake, it’s not biryani.
If it’s a vegetarian Biryani, yes you can add in potatoes. But in Non Veg Hyderabadi Biryanis, potatoes are not added. Potatoes are generally added in Bengali Meat Biryani.
Kacchi Mutton Biryani Recipe
Having loved eating Hyderabadi Mutton Biryani, I had to try it at home by slow cooking it to perfection.
Whenever you make it, you need to understand that it is different than making the usual cooked rice or Pulao.
Kacche Gosht Ki Biryani is made without cooking the meat prior to mixing it with rice.
The raw marinated mutton is layered along with cooked rice and is cooked on dum until the mutton gets cooked and fall of the bone along with the rice.
Think of any recipes of biryani and you would realize that it is made in stages such as cooking rice, marinating mutton (or any other main ingredient as per the variation), and then finally assembling the two in a heavy bottom pan.
Here is how I make Kacchi Hyderabadi Mutton Biryani
Ingredients
For the rice
- Long Grain Basmati Rice – 2 cups
- Potli Masala – 10 g
- Ghee – 1 tsp
- Shahi Zeera – 1 tsp
- Salt – 4 tsp
- Ginger Garlic Paste – 2 tsp
- Green Chilli Paste – 2 tsp
- Kewra Essence – 2-3 drops
For the Mutton
- Mutton – 750 g
- Raw papaya paste – 2 tbsp
- Ginger paste – 2 tsp
- Garlic paste – 2 tsp
- Green chili paste – 2 tsp
- Garam masala powder – ½ tsp
- Red Chilli powder – 2 tsp
- Turmeric powder – 1tsp
- Salt – 2 tsp
- Ghee – 2 tbsp
- Lemon juice – 2 tbsp
- Curd – 200 g
- Mint – 2 tbsp ( Chopped )
- Coriander – 2 tbsp ( Chopped )
- Golden fried onion – ¼ cup
For Assembling the biryani
- Milk – ½ cup
- Saffron – a good pinch ( Soaked in 2 tbsp water )
- Golden brown onion – ½ cup
- Ghee – 2 tbsp
Method
- Wash the rice and soak in water for 40-45 minutes.
- Tie whole spices in a cloth piece to make a potli.
- Mix mutton with raw papaya paste, ginger paste, garlic paste, garam masala powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, vegetable oil, green chili paste, and lemon juice and marinate for 8-10 hours.
- Add curd, mint, coriander, and golden fried onion in the marinated mutton and mix well.
- Heat water in a large pot. Add potli masala, salt, ginger-garlic paste, green chili paste, kewra essence, and shahi jeera in the pot and bring the water to a boil.
- Drain the rice and add it to the boiling water.
- Transfer the mutton along with the marinade in a heavy bottom pan.
- Once the rice gets 80% cooked, drain it and top it over the mutton.
- Sprinkle ½ cup milk, saffron soaked in water, golden brown onion and ghee on top. I also like to sprinkle chopped coriander and mint sometimes.
- Cover the pan tightly with a lid. Place the pan on a very slow heat for 50-55 minutes. Remove the lid and mix the biryani gently. Serve hot.
Storage Suggestions
Mutton Biryani lasts for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Heat it properly, before serving. If you have a lot of portion, heat only the amount you want to serve.
You can even freeze Biryani for about a month. Just let it cool down completely before freezing. Thaw it overnight and heat it again, before serving.
Serving Suggestions
It can be served with curd/yogurt or any raita of your choice. I personally like to serve it with Onion Tomato Raita or Boondi Raita.
In Hyderabad, it is served with Mirchi Ka Salan. You can also serve it with any other Vegetable Salan of your choice or it even tastes great with Egg Salan. Make any spicy thin curry to go with biryani.
Also do not forget to serve Double Ka Meetha or Shahi Tukda after this delicious Biryani meal.
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Recipe Card
Mutton Biryani Recipe
Ingredients
For the Mutton
- 1 kg Goat Mutton
- 1 cup Thick Curd
- 4 tsp Green Chilli Paste
- 2 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- ¼ cup Golden Fried Onion
- 2 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 4 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
- 1 tsp Garam Masala Powder
- 1 tsp Roasted Cumin Powder
- 2 tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 cup Onion (Thinly Sliced)
- ¼ cup Vegetable Oil
- 2 tbsp Fresh Coriander (Chopped)
- 2 tbsp Fresh Mint (Chopped)
For the Rice
- 2 cups Long Grain Basmati Rice
- 10 g Potli Masala
- 1 tbsp Ghee
- 1 tsp Shahi Jeera
- 4 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- 2 tsp Green Chilli Paste
- 2-3 drops Kewra Essence
For assembling the biryani
- ¼ cup Milk
- 1 pinch Saffron (Soaked in 1 tbsp water.)
- ½ cup Golden Fried Onion
- 1 tbsp Mint (Chopped)
Instructions
For the Mutton
- Wash the mutton and mix it well with curd, green chilli paste, ginger garlic paste, golden fried onion, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, cumin powder, salt and lemon juice.
- Marinate the mutton for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Heat oil in a pressure cooker.
- Add onion and fry until onion turns golden brown.
- Add the marinated mutton and fry on high heat for 4-5 minutes.
- Now add 1 cup of water and pressure cook until mutton is tender.
- Remove the lid of the cooker and cook the mutton until most of the water is evaporated.
- Add coriander and mint and mix well. Keep the mutton aside.
For the rice
- Wash the rice and soak in water for 40-45 minutes.
- Heat water in a large pot.
- Add potli masala, ghee, salt, ginger garlic paste, green chilli paste, kewra essence and shahi zeera in the pot and bring the water to a boil.
- Cook the rice until it is 90% cooked.
- Drain the rice and keep aside.
Assembling the biryani
- Transfer the cooked mutton in a heavy bottom pan.
- Drain the rice and layer it over the mutton evenly.
- Sprinkle ¼ cup milk, saffron soaked in water, golden brown onion and ghee on top.
- Cover the pan tightly with a lid.
- Place the pan on a very slow heat for 20-25 minutes.
- Remove the lid and mix the biryani gently.
- Serve hot.
