Mutton Biryani Recipe

Straight from the land of Nizams, Mutton Biryani is a regal dish that does not need any special mention or patronage. This biryani is made in two styles, one is Kacche Gosht Ki Biryani and the other is Pakke Gosht Ki Biryani.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings: people

Calories: 894kcal

Author: Neha Mathur

Straight from the land of Nizams, Mutton Biryani is a regal dish that does not need any special mention or patronage. It is made in two styles, Kacchi and Pakki. Check out the recipes.

Print Recipe

US Customary - Metric

Ingredients

For the Mutton

1 kg Goat Mutton
1 cup Thick Curd
4 tsp Green Chilli Paste
2 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
1/4 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
1/4 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

1/4 cup Milk
1 pinch Saffron Soaked in 1 tbsp water.
1/2 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 1/4 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.

Notes

Rice - Use the best quality rice to make biryani.

Tawa - Keeping a heavy tawa below the pan helps to cook the biryani on very low heat and it also makes sure the biryani doesn't get burned from the bottom.

Potli Masala - The traditional potli masala used to make biryani recipe has many unusual ingredients, but since it is not easy to source them, I have a mix that is easy to find the not compromise on taste. 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

Birista or Golden Fried Onions are a must to make a good biryani. Making perfect birista is an art and takes a lot of patience and skills. I have a detailed recipe to make perfect birista at home. You can check the recipe to make golden fried onion here.

Cooking Rice - Be very attentive while cooking the rice. Do not stir the rice much while cooking otherwise it will break the grains.

Pan - Choose a pan with a tight-fitting lid. This biryani cooks on dum or steam and we want to retain as much steam that is formed inside. Traditionally, a sealing of dough used to be put around the pan and the lid but I don't think that it is required if the lid fits tightly. Use a heavy bottom pan to assemble it. The biryani needs to be cooked for 40-45 minutes on low heat and if the pan is not heavy, it might burn.

Kacchi Biryani - If making Kacchi Biryani, the mutton must be marinated beforehand. Since we are not cooking it separately, marinating it beforehand will make it tender and easy to cook.

Raw Papaya is a great tenderizer and in this recipe, it is a must. Do not skip using it.

Massage - Traditionally, the mutton was massaged well after adding each marinating ingredient. One ingredient was added and it was mixed well with the mutton before adding the next one. This process makes mutton very tender and many people still follow this method.

Nutrition