Make the best Hyderabadi Mutton Dum Biryani (Pakki Style) using my easy age-old recipe. Serve it with a salan (curry) or a raita for a hearty meal (gluten-free).

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About Hyderabadi Mutton Biryani

Mutton biryani is a popular Indian rice dish made using long-grain basmati rice layered with a spicy mutton (goat meat) layer.

There are multiple regions in India that make mutton biryani in their own traditional ways – Hyderabadi, Lucknowi, Dindigul, Ambur, Kolkata, and Thalassery, to name a few.

Hyderabadi mutton biryani is the most popular among all these styles and also my favorite.

In Hyderabad itself, this biryani is made by two methods – Kacchi (raw) biryani, where raw marinated mutton is layered with semi-cooked rice and then cooked on dum (slow cooking), and Pakki (cooked) biryani, which is already cooked mutton layered with semi-cooked rice.

Making mutton biryani at home looks like a difficult feat but trust me once you try out my recipe, this myth will break.

In this post, I am sharing an age-old recipe to make Hyderabadi dum biryani in pakki style.

To make Hyderabadi pakki dum mutton biryani, you can cook the mutton in a traditional stovetop pressure cooker or an instant pot.

This recipe serves 8 people. You can halve, double, or triple the recipe easily.

I use my 3-liter stovetop pressure cooker or 6-quart instant pot to cook the mutton. If you are scaling up the recipe, then use a large cooker or instant pot. The time of pressure cooking will remain the same.

If you are someone who loves a good biryani for your weekend meals, then you must try these biryani recipes too

• Mushroom Biryani
• Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani
• Hyderabadi Vegetable Dum Biryani
• Ambur Chicken Biryani

Ingredients

You will get all the ingredients to make Hyderabadi mutton biryani in any Indian grocery store or online. For the best flavor, stick to the measurements and follow the recipe as mentioned. I have used standard cups and spoon measures to measure the ingredients.

To Marinate The Mutton

Mutton – Use bone-in goat mutton (1-½-inch pieces) to make the biryani. If using frozen mutton, thaw it well before using it. You can replace goat mutton with lamb if you wish to.

The best cut of goat meat for making the biryani is from the shoulder or the leg.

Herbs & Spices – I make a paste of green chillies, fresh ginger, garlic, cilantro (fresh coriander leaves), and fresh mint for the marination. It makes the mutton flavorful from the inside.

Yogurt (Dahi, Curd) – Use thick yogurt or Greek yogurt as it will not lose water while marinating.

Crispy Fried Onions – Biryani gets more flavorful with the use of golden crispy fried onions (birista). You can prepare them beforehand and store them so that they come in handy while preparing biryani. If you are planning to make them at home, then follow the recipe here – Crispy Fried Onions. You can also buy store-bought fried onions to save time.

Lime Juice – Lime juice tenderizes the goat mutton and gives it a refreshing tangy taste.

You will also need salt and any neutral cooking oil. Sunflower oil, canola oil, etc works fine.

To Cook The Mutton

Marinated mutton pieces are cooked with red onions, fresh tomatoes, and biryani masala powder.

Use any neutral oil (sunflower oil, canola oil, etc) to cook the mutton.

Biryani masala powder can be made at home using Indian spice powders like red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, cumin powder, etc.

You can also buy store-bought masala; Shaan and Everest are my favorite brands of biryani masala.

To Cook The Rice

Rice – Use aged extra long-grain basmati rice for the best result. They turn out nice, fluffy, and aromatic which adds a perfect texture and flavor when mixed with mutton masala.

These days, rice labeled as biryani rice is available in most Indian grocery stores, go for it for the best result. You can buy this long grain basmati rice from Amazon.

Some people use Sela rice to make biryani. It is a variation of basmati rice that has a long grain and it holds its shape well.

Whole Spices – Whole spices like green cardamoms (hari elaichi), cloves (laung), bay leaves (tejpatta), cinnamon (dalchini), star anise (chakri phool), and caraway seeds (shahi jeera) give a lovely flavor to this dish.

If caraway seeds are not available, replace them with cumin seeds.

Others – You will also need ghee, ginger garlic paste, freshly squeezed lime juice and salt, and kewra essence.

To Assemble The Mutton Biryani

Once the mutton and rice are layered, the biryani is topped with ghee, milk, fried onions, and saffron soaked in water or milk.

Saffron adds a beautiful orangish hue to the biryani. It also adds a subtle flavor, that makes the biryani even more delicious. Some people use yellow color in place of saffron however I highly recommend using saffron.

How To Make Hyderabadi Pakki Mutton Biryani

Marinate The Mutton

Add

• 5-6 chopped green chilies
• 4-inch piece of ginger (chopped)
• 8-10 cloves of garlic (peeled)
• ¼ cup tightly packed cilantro
• 2 tablespoon fresh mint leaves

to a blender along with 3 tablespoon water. Blend to make a coarse paste. Scrape the sides of the blender a few times while bending.

Wash 2 pounds (1 kg) of bone-in goat mutton (cut into 1 and ½-inch pieces) and drain well.

Mix it with

• 1 and ½ cups thick yogurt
• green paste
• ¼ cup crispy fried onions (packed)
• 3 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• ¼ cup of any neutral-flavored oil

Keep the marinated mutton in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or better overnight.

Cook The Mutton

In A Traditional Pressure Cooker

Take out the marinated mutton from the refrigerator and keep it on the counter for 30 minutes so that it comes to room temperature. This way, it will cook the best.

Note – You can soak the rice at this stage. Check the process for cooking the rice.

Heat ¼ cup of cooking oil in a 3-liter pressure cooker over medium-high heat.

Once the oil is hot, add 1 cup of thinly sliced red onions and fry until the onion turns golden brown (7-9 minutes).

Add the marinated mutton along with the marinade to the cooker and fry on high heat for 4-5 minutes. Keep stirring frequently.

Add 1 cup thinly sliced tomatoes and 4 tablespoon biryani masala and cook for 4-5 minutes.

Now add ¼ cup of water and close the lid of the cooker.

Pressure cook for one whistle on high heat. Then lower the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes.

Remove the cooker from heat and let the pressure release naturally. Once the pressure is released, open the lid of the cooker.

Note – You can start cooking the rice at this stage. Check the process for cooking the rice.

Put the cooker back on high heat and cook until most of the water is evaporated and the gravy is almost dried. Set aside.

In An Instant Pot

Take out the marinated mutton from the refrigerator and keep it on the counter for 30 minutes so that it comes to room temperature. This way, it will cook the best.

Note – You can soak the rice at this stage. Check the process for cooking the rice.

Press SAUTE button on a 6-quart instant pot.

Add ¼ cup of cooking oil to the pot.

Once the oil is hot, add 1 cup of thinly sliced red onions and saute until browned (8-10 minutes).

Add the marinated mutton along with the marinade to the instant pot and fry for 4-5 minutes. Keep stirring frequently.

Add 1 cup thinly sliced tomatoes and 4 tablespoon biryani masala and cook for 4-5 minutes.

Now add ¼ cup of water and close the lid of the instant pot. Set the valve to the sealing position. Press CANCEL and then press PRESSURE COOK. Set the timer to 20 minutes at high pressure.

Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Release the remaining pressure manually and open the lid of the IP.

Note – You can start cooking the rice at this stage. Check the process for cooking the rice.

Now press SAUTE once again and cook until the liquid is evaporated and the gravy is almost dry. Set aside.

Cook The Rice

Note – While the mutton is cooking, cook the rice on another stove. If you have only one stove, then cook the mutton first, then cook the rice. Reheat the mutton before layering it with rice.

Wash 3 cups of long-grain basmati rice 2-3 times with water until the water runs clear. Soak it in 6-8 cups of water for 40-45 minutes.

Heat 6 cups of water in a large pot over high heat.

Add

• 7-8 whole green cardamoms
• 7-8 cloves
• 4-5 whole bay leaves
• 2-inch piece of cinnamon stick
• 2 whole star anise
• 1 teaspoon shahi jeera (caraway seeds)
• 1 tablespoon ghee
• 4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
• 2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• 4-5 drops kewra essence

to the pot, and bring the water to a boil.

Note – If you don’t like whole spices coming into your mouth, then tie them in a cloth (bouquet gurney). Squeeze and discard the cloth once the rice is cooked.

Drain the rice and add it to the pot and stir gently.

Reduce the heat to low.

Cook the rice on low heat uncovered until it is 95% cooked, which means it is cooked with just a little bite to it (12-15 minutes).

Note – It is very important to cook the rice until it is almost done otherwise it will be raw and the biryani will taste dry.

Assemble The Mutton Biryani

Transfer the cooked mutton to a large heavy bottom pot (at least 5 liters and preferably broader than taller) and spread evenly.

Drain the cooked rice in a strainer and layer it over the mutton. Spread evenly.

Pour ½ cup milk all over and sprinkle 1 pinch saffron soaked in ¼ cup water, ½ cup crispy fried onions, and 3 tablespoon ghee on top.

Cover the pot with aluminum foil.

Cover the pot tightly with a lid. 

Place the pot over the heat.

Cook on high heat for 3-4 minutes.

Reduce the heat to low.

Cook for 20 minutes.

Remove the pot from heat and let it rest for 20 minutes.

Remove the lid and mix the mutton biryani gently. Serve hot.

Pro Tips By Neha

Making a fabulous Hyderabadi mutton biryani is not at all difficult if you follow the recipe properly. Use correct measurements and follow the instruction as mentioned. A successful biryani recipe depends on the quality and quantity of the ingredients and cooking them on the right heat.

Use the best cut of meat and the best biryani rice you can get your hands on.

Start by marinating the mutton at least 2 hours prior to cooking the biryani. Prepare and gather all the ingredients half an hour prior to starting the cooking.

The next step should be to cook the marinated mutton. When the mutton is almost cooked, start cooking the rice. Then layer the biryani. If you efficiently cook the various elements of biryani, it will take just an hour to come together.

Handle the rice very gently while cooking otherwise the grains might break.

I used a 5-liter pot to assemble the biryani. The pot in which we assemble the biryani must have a tight-fitting lid through which no steam can escape. If the lid doesn’t fit tightly, then you can seal the edges using some whole wheat flour dough. You should also use a heavy bottom pan so that the mutton doesn’t burn while cooking.

When you start to layer, the mutton should be hot and the rice must be just cooked. If you have cooked the mutton prior to cooking the rice, heat it again just before the layering process. Do not cook the rice in advance. It should be immediately transferred to the assembly pot. Plan it accordingly.

This recipe can be easily halved, doubled, or tripled. Use smaller or larger pots accordingly. The time of cooking will remain the same.

Frequently Asked Questions

Serving Suggestions

Hyderabadi biryani is a perfect dish to make for festivals, special occasions, or elaborate weekend meals.

Mutton biryani can be served with plain yogurt or any raita of your choice. I personally like to serve it with Cucumber Raita or Boondi Raita.

In Hyderabad, it is served with Mirchi Ka Salan. You can also serve it with any other vegetable curry of your choice.

Do not forget to serve Double Ka Meetha or Shahi Tukda for dessert after this delicious biryani meal.

Storage Suggestions

Mutton biryani lasts for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Heat it properly, before serving. Splash some water or milk over the biryani while reheating to prevent drying.

If you have a lot of portions, heat only the amount you want to serve. Use a clean and dry spoon every time you take out the biryani from the container.

You can freeze biryani for about a month. Just let it cool down completely before freezing. Thaw it overnight and heat it again, before serving. I will suggest you store biryani in portions so that you don’t have to thaw only the amount you want to eat.

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