Gourmet Food - Pakistani Dishes

Biryani


900 gms. mutton, all fat removed
300 gms. basmati rice
1 tsp. saffron
2 tbsp. warm water
a few drops of kewda water
1 cup clarified butter (ghee), salt to taste.
For Marination :
5 green chillies, slit and seeded
2" piece fresh ginger, julienne
1 tbsp. raw-ripe papaya
10 small onions, fried
2 bay leaves
10 green cardamoms
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp. red chilli powder
½ cup yoghurt, 3 tbsp. ginger-garlic paste
½ tsp. black, ground black cumin (shahjeera)
10 mint leaves
½ tsp. cardamom powder (jautri elaichi)
5 cloves.
For Garnishing :
Fried slices onion
slit green chilli
mint leaves
ginger julienne

Wash the mutton and pat fry. Cut into large chunks. Clean and wash the rice. Soak the rice in water for 30 mins. Drain and set aside.

To make the Marinade :
Slit green chillies and seed them. Peel the ginger and cut into juliennes. Fry the onions until caramelized. Reserve a few caramelized onions, ginger juliennes and slit chillies for the garnish and put the remaining onions, ginger julienne and slit chillies in a bowl to mix with the rest of the marinade ingredients. Make papapa paste by blending raw papaya and add to the marinade in the bowl.

 

1. Add the bay leaves, green cardamoms, cinnamon stick, red chilli powder, yoghurt, ginger-garlic paste, black cumin, dried mint leaves, cardamom powder, cloves and salt.
2. Mix well, then add the meat. Marinate the meat in this mixture for about 3 hours in cool place.
3. Cook the rice in salted boiling water till rice is just half cooked. Strain and place the rice in a pot.
4. Add all the marinated mutton on top of the rice. Add saffron, kewda water, pour over the ghee and cover tightly with a lid.
5. Cook on medium to high flame till it steams (which should take about 10 mins).
6. Let it steam for a further 10 mins. Reduce heat a bit more and let it steam (dum) for another 10 mins.
7. Serve turned out with rice on top, garnished with the reserved caramelized onion, slit green chillies, ginger julienne and fresh mint leaves.
   
   This recipe for spicy, aromatic mutton biryani is from the once Moghul kingdom of Hyderabad. It is always eaten with cooling raita.

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