This week, happens to be just like that week in July, where I had two
back to
back guest posts!!! :) At the beginning of the week, it was for
Avika and again now I have another blogger whose name starts with A -
Ambreen!!! Is it some kind of a coincidence? I really don't know! :)
When Ambreen emailed me with a request for a meat related
delicacy served during Eid, I just couldn't resist her offer. Who would be able to
say “no” to the simply sweet Ambreen? J Amid short notice, though I rummaged through my
drafts, I was not able to find much of recipes related to mutton or beef,
mainly because it is something cooked when I am really in a mood to or there
is an occasion, and yes, occasions like Eid which call for some grand food! So a couple of weekends back, I made it a point to cook specifically for her and share with her a biriyani that I couldn't resist sharing!
Yes, it is the Thalassery Mutton Dum Biriyani, made in my style that I gave for her as a part of her ongoing series of guest posts, featuring meat dishes for the upcoming Eid-ul-Adha.
To read more and for the recipe, do hop over to her space
here. Hope you enjoy the post! :)
For the chicken version, do check out my
Thalassery Chicken Dum Biriyani, which happens to be one of the most popular posts on the blog!
Thalassery Mutton Dum Biriyani
*************************************
Serves : 4
Ingredients :
For Masala :
- 500 gm. mutton, cleaned
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp. red chilli powder
- 1 tbsp. ginger garlic paste
- 1 tsp. black pepper powder
- 1/2 tsp. garam masala powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 tbsp. ghee
- 2 medium onions, sliced thinly
- 3 green chillies, slit
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 4 tbsp. yogurt
- 2 tbsp. chopped mint leaves
- 2 tbsp. chopped coriander leaves
- Juice of one lime
For Rice :
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 small bay leaf
- 1 small pc cinnamon
- 4 cloves
- 2 cardamoms
- 5-6 peppercorns
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 600 ml hot water
For Dum :
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1 medium onion, sliced thinly
- 8-10 cashew nuts, split
- 10-12 raisins
- 2 tbsp. chopped mint leaves
- 2 tbsp. chopped coriander leaves
- 1 tbsp. garam masala powder
- 1 1/2 tbsp. rose water
Method :
- Marinate the mutton with ingredients from turmeric powder to salt in a pressure cooker, for a minimum of one hour. If able to marinate overnight, then it would taste even better.
- Wash the rice thoroughly and soak in water for an hour. Drain and set aside.
- Prepare the dum ingredients. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the onions with a pinch of salt till brown and crispy. Take out and then fry the cashews till brown. Finally fry the raisins till puffed. Drain all onto a kitchen towel, and set aside.
- Heat a deep saucepan and pour in the ghee. Add in the onions and green chillies and sauté till soft. Add in the tomatoes, and cook till the mixture becomes thoroughly cooked, that you are not able to really make out the onion or tomato! The more it gets cooked, the tastier the masala becomes. Leave it on slow flame for the masala to get cooked maximum. Meanwhile, place the pressure cooker with the marinated mutton on high flame, cook for three whistles. Lower the flame and cook for another 10 minutes. Switch off and allow the pressure to go by itself.
- Add the cooked mutton along with the stock into the onion-tomato mixture and cook on low flame for around 10 minutes. Add the lime juice, yogurt, coriander and mint leaves and give a nice stir. Adjust the salt and seasoning, cook till just boiled and switch off. The masala should be thick and not watery.
- In another saucepan, heat the ghee for the rice. On medium flame, add in the whole masala and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the onions and sauté till just soft, for around 3 minutes. Add in the drained rice and sauté till the rice becomes crispy, for around 10 minutes. Add in the hot water, adjust salt, increase the flame and wait till the water boils. Immediately, lower the flame to minimum, tightly close the lid and leave the rice undisturbed for 10 minutes. After this time, open the lid and check for doneness of the rice. It would be done with a little bite inside. Switch off and give it a light mix.
- Now let’s start the dum. Heat the chappathi tawa/ griddle on medium flame till done. Sprinkle half the garam masala and half the fried dum ingredients over the prepared mutton masala. Layer the whole rice on top of the masala. Sprinkle the remaining garam masala, the remaining dum ingredients, coriander and mint leaves, and finally the rose water. Tightly wrap with aluminum foil and close the lid. Leave on the griddle on low flame for 15-20 minutes till an aroma wafts in the kitchen. Switch off.
- There are two ways of serving this biriyani :
- Give the biriyani a light mix and serve altogether.
- Separate the rice into another bowl, and serve the masala and rice separately. This way of serving is more authentic.
- Normally, I mix and serve to ensure everybody gets equal access to the masala!!! J
- Serve warm with raita, pickle and pappad!!!