HYDERABADI BIRYANI The ultimate of Nawabi cuisine.Cooked in the tandoori style- a rich preparation of rice and mutton
INGREDIENTS
- Basmati Rice 500 gms.
- Mutton cut into small
- pieces 1kg.
- Garam Masala 2 tsp.
- Red chilies 6 nos.
- Cashewnuts A handful
- Onions (sliced fine and
- fried till crisp) 5 nos.
- Cloves 2 nos.
- Dalchini 2 pieces
- Elaichi 3 nos.
- Green chilies 6 nos.
- Kothmir, chopped 1
- small bunch
- Pudina chopped 1 small
- bunch
- Ginger Garlic paste 3
- tsp.
- Saffron (dissolved in ¾
- cup milk) 2 pinches
- Curd beaten 1 cup
- Lime juice 2 nos.
- Eggs boiled 4 nos.
- Ghee /Oil 5 tbsp.
- Salt to taste
METHOD
- Grind the red chilies and cashewnuts to a fine paste.
- To the mutton apply the ginger - garlic paste and beaten curd. Set aside.
- Heat 4 tablespoons ghee and fry the red chili masala.
- Add the marinated mutton, ¼ of the fried onion, one teaspoon garam masala and salt to taste.
- Keep frying till ghee separates. Add 1½ cups warm water.Pressure cook till tender.
- Heat dekchi, add 1 tbsp ghee and fry the sabut masala.
- Add the rice and fry a little. Add the green chilies and salt to taste.
- Add enough warm water. Cook till rice is done, remove and spread on a thali, discarding the whole masala.
- Mix together the chopped kothmir, pudina, garam masala and fried onion.Set aside.
- Take a heavy bottlomed dekchi and line it with ghee.
- Spread a layer of rice and cover it with half of the mutton.Sprinkle half of the pudina / kothmir mixture and juice of 1 lime.
- Cover with rice, followed by a mutton layer. Finish with a rice layer.
- Sprinkle the rice with saffron milk and dot with ghee.
- Cover tightly and place over a griddle for dum for 20 minutes. Serve hot, garnished with eggs cut into halves.

