Mutton Biriyani – Tamilnadu Style

Yummy mutton biriyani! 

If something is that I cannot resist, it is BIRYANI! How about you all? Try it and share your experiences 🙂

Preparation Time:  60 minutes                                   Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• Goat – 1kg
• Olive Oil – 1/2 cup
• Butter/Ghee – 3 tbsp
• Seeraga Samba Rice – 2 cups
• Salt – as required
• Onion – 1 Large (Thinly sliced)
• Tomato – 2 medium
• Curd – 1/2 cup
• Lemon Juice – 1 tbsp
• Coriander Leaves – 10 strings
• Mint Leaves – Handful 
• Turmeric – 1/4 tbsp
• Chilli powder – 1-1/2 tbsp
• Coriander spoon – 1 tbsp
• Coconut milk – 1/2 cup
• Ginger – 50 grams 
• Garlic – 2 full bulbs
• Green Chili – 4-5
• Biriyani Masala – 3-4 tbsp
• Fried Bread – 2 slices 

To Grind:

• Ginger – 50 Grams
• Garlic – 2 Bulbs
• Green Chili – 5 
• Onion – 1/2 onion 

Biriyani Masala:

• Cinnamon – 1 and 1/2 inch
• Black Cardamom – 2
• Cumin Seeds – 1 tbps
• Fennel Seeds – 1 tbps
• Dried Bay leaves – 3 large leaves
• Star Ansi –  1 and 1/2
• Cashew nuts – 3
• Nutmug powder – 2 pinch
• Cloves – 3
• Stone Flower- 1/2 tbsp
• Javitri (Mace) – 1
• Red Chili – 3

Dry fry all the above ingreidents in a pan on low heat. Do not let it burn, it will ruin the taste of biriyani. Let it cool and grind it to fine powder. You can store the extra masala in an air tight container for a month. As we roast and fry the masala, the aroma stays fresh for a month.

Note: You can also use store bought biriyani masala. 

Preperation:

• Soak the Seeraga samba rice for 30 minutes. Seeraga Samba rice along with baby goat a special aroma. If you do not have Seeraga Samba rice, you can use basmati rice too.
• In a pressure pan, add 1/2 cup of oil and heat it on medium. When hot, add the ingredients mentioned under ‘To Temper/Tadka’ (Cinnamon, Start Ansi and Bay Leaves) and when you get the aroma from the spices, add green chilies (4-5), onions (1 large- thinly sliced), turmeric (1/4 tbsp) and fry until the onion turn golden brown.
• When Onions turned golden brown, add tomatoes ( 2 meduim sliced), red chili powder (1-1/2 tbsp), coriander powder (1 tbsp) and biriyani masala (3-4 tbsp) and put the heat on low-medium, let them cook till mushy.
• When the onion and tomato cooks, take all the ingredients mentioned in ‘To Grind’ in a mixer-grinder and grind it to a fine paste.
• Now add the washed goat and the grinded paste, mix well so that all the ingredients in the pressure pan blend well. Add 1 and 1/2 water to pressure pan, adjust the salt as required, close the lid and let it cook well (about 5 whistle).
  

• After 5 whistle, turn off the pressure pan and set it to cool. When ready, open the pan and add the curd, mix it well.
• Turn the heat to medium, add 2-1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of coconut milk and let it boil. When the mixture bubble up, add the coriander leaves, mint leaves and lemon juice. As the cooked mixture itself have enough water, we are adding less water ( 1 cup rice vs 1-1/2 cup of water). 
• To the boiling mixture, add the washed-soaked seeraga samba rice and let it boil for 5 minutes on high.
• Now put the stove on low, close the pressure pan with lid, put the whistle on and leave it for 15-20 minutes. 
• Turn off the stove and let the steam set off by itself (it will set off in within 10-15 mins). Open the pressure pan, add the fried breads, 3 tbsp of butter and some more coriander leaves and mix well with spatula. Be careful while mixing, because the rice might get mushy when hot.

Tips:

1. Use store bought biriyani masala if you feel it to be tedious process.
   
2. Check for salt and spice as per the required taste.
3. Check for the water when cooking rice because if we add more water, it will make the biriyani mushy or over cooked.
4. You can replace the coconut milk with ordinary milk or water.
5. You can replace the fried breads with fried cashew nuts.