My tried and tested south Indian mutton biriyani recipe

If I’ve learnt anything from looking up recipes hurriedly online, it is to get to the recipe right away and save the history for later. Help readers by minimizing how much they have to scroll through to get to the recipe. So, here’s my first gift to you guys. 🙂

This recipe will make a pot full of biriyani that can serve 5 adults for a meal (plus maybe some leftovers) or serve 3 for two meals or me for just one 😀

Ingredients:

1. Aromatics:

– Cloves – 10

– Cinnamon – 2-3 inch stick

– Green cardamom – 5 pods

– Bay leaf – 2 large leaves

– Black cardamom – 5 pods

– Star Anise (optional) – 1 pod

– Biriyani Flower (optional) – 2 petals

2. Other Items:

– Green chillies – 3 per cup of rice for moderately hot biriyani. 4/cup of rice if you like it hotter. Sliced and seeds in.

– Red onions – 3-4 large

– Tomatoes – 2 whole, cut into wedges

– Fresh mint – 1 whole bunch

– Ginger & Garlic paste – 5 tablespoons

– Basmati rice – 5 cups, washed and drained

– Mutton stock – Ratio is 1 Rice: 1.5 liquid. For 5 cups of rice, you would use 7.5 cups of liquid. (Be very strict about this. Determines the doneness and end result greatly! Can substitute with water or chicken/vegetable stock. I always use the stock from cooking the mutton. Top off with water if not enough stock.)

– Lime – 1 whole

– Ghee – 3 tablespoons

– Vegetable oil – 1/3 cup

– Red chilli powder (Cayenne, optional) – 1 tsp

– Salt – As needed

3. For the meat:

– Mutton – 4lbs, cubed, mix of bones and meat (leg or shoulder cut) – increase or decrease quantity of meat per your liking. I like more rice than meat but the husband likes more meat than rice. Find that happy medium (good luck!)

– Turmeric powder – 1.5 tsp

– Whole peppercorns – 10

– Whole garlic – 4 large cloves (peeled)

Method:

1. Meat prep:

– Clean and place chunks of goat meat into a pressure cooker

– Add the turmeric, whole black peppercorns, garlic cloves and 1.5 tsp of salt. * Remember! We’ll add more later to the biriyani.

– Pressure cook on high for 5 minutes until meat is 80-90% cooked through. – I cook the meat in my ninja foodi grill these days. Pressure cook on High for 5. If using traditional pressure cooker, cook for 5-6 whistles. Slightly over cooked meat is better than very under-done meat 🙂

– Reserve the stock.

2. Biriyani prep:

* Place a heavy bottomed, oven safe biriyani pot on the stove.

* Heat the oil and half of the ghee on medium flame.

* Add the aromatics (first five items on the ingredients list) to the hot oil.

* Throw in sliced green chillies (Leave the seeds in).

* Follow with thinly sliced red onions.

* At this point, just add a teaspoon of salt. Sauté for a full 5 minutes.

* Wash, pluck and chop the mint leaves. This goes into the pot.

* Add the ginger/garlic paste.

* Continue to sauté until onions have reduced down to a small caramelized portion.

* Add the drained meat, a teaspoon of red chili powder (optional) and sauté for 5 minutes.

* The oil should start to leave the paste collect around the edges of the mixture in the pot. At this point, measure and pour the mutton stock (or water if you prefer) into the pot.

* Taste and adjust salt as needed. Note: It should be slightly saltier and spicier than the end product. When you add the rice and cook, the levels of heat, spice and salt will all level out.

* Bring to a boil.

* Add the rice, tomatoes and lime juice and the remaining ghee.

* Stir once gently to ensure rice grains don’t break up until the mixture is mixed it.

* Cover pot with foil, place lid on top and place pot in the oven.

* Cook at 375F for 30minutes.

* Remove from oven, stir carefully to avoid grains of rice from breaking up.

* Taste and adjust salt & lime as needed.

Serving Suggestions:

Non-negotiable accompaniments: Serve with raita, eggplant salna, and seasoned boiled eggs.

Optional but nice to have sides: Chicken 65, Chicken gravy, shrimp masala etc

I realize I’ve not provided any links to recipes for any of these sides or accompaniments (yet) but rest assured I’ll add those soon!

Eating Suggestion:

Eat and repeat till pot is empty or stomach is full (whichever comes first). Enjoy!

Some parting ruminations:

Biriyani can and does evoke so much emotion and sentiment. To me, it instantly triggers nostlagia and feelings of celebration. It is the dish of choice at weddings, birthdays, festive events while squarely also falling in the comfort food category (next to power houses like sambar and spicy potatoes). The cultural aspects of this dish are numerous. If you were to visit any state/region in India, you would get a version native to that area. No two biriyanis are alike. It is like the fingerprints on our hands or the snowflakes in winter. So unique and utterly delicious!

And of course, biriyani is and also always will be such a personal, subjective endeavor. Every household and cook have their own recipe. The one I’ve shared here is the one I make in my home to celebrate anything and everything. I sometimes make slight modifications to amp up or tone down the spice level or heat but the flavor running beneath the surface is what I’ve honed over time. Visit my sister and you’ll get her version. Mom, grandma’s, in-laws’ versions are all completely different. My husband’s grandma has a recipe that looks nothing like any of the ones I’ve tasted. The ingredients are so different and surprising! All proof that the biriyani can be both unifying and unique simultaneously 🙂

Can you tell it is one of my favorite things to eat? To do it justice, one must spend enough time and money on proper preparation and good quality ingredients. That being said, I might (if there is any interest for it) post a few other variations from friends and family (posted with their permission certainly) to showcase the many facets of this wonderful, king of celebratory foods – the biriyani!