Mangalorean Mutton Biryani

Let me share some historical background of biryani which will justify as to why the recipe is so lengthy. This dish originated in Persia and that’s how it gets its name from a Persian word ‘birian’ which means ‘fried before cooking’. It might have entered India through Afghanistan, or maybe via Arabs through the Arabian Sea. Let’s not forget the contribution by the Mughal empire which shows in Awadhi cuisine.

The whole process of biryani involves preparation of the gravy and rice separately, combining together with few other aromatics and cooking in a process called “dum cooking”. It’s basically a one pot dish which requires no other side dish. But for me, a biryani is incomplete without a Raita. Just follow all the steps and you will not be disappointed with the end results.

Tips:

• For a good biryani, the gravy should be a bit more pungent and spicy than the usual mutton gravy.
• The rice has to be basmati rice with extra long grain. Overcooked rice can ruin the whole thing.
• While assembling the biryani take a large vessel so that whole thing is loosely packed. This allows the steam to circulate evenly.

Mangalorean Mutton Biryani

Shanaz Rafiq

A classic recipe and step-by-step method of preparing Mangalorean-style biryani. You will love this traditional dish usually made during Muslim weddings.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Dum Cooking 15 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Biryani

Cuisine Indian, Mangalorean

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

For Biryani Masala:

• 1 piece cinnamon 3-inch
• 4 cardamoms
• 7 cloves
• 1 tbsp whole black pepper
• 2 tbsp fennel seeds badi saunf
• 8 almonds chopped
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds khus khus
• 3 tbsp chopped ginger
• 7 cloves garlic chopped
• 8 green chilies or according to preference
• 1 small onion chopped.
• 1 cup roughly chopped coriander leaves

For the Gravy:

• 1 kilogram mutton cut into medium pieces with bones or boneless
• 3 large onion sliced 3 cups
• 2 large ripe tomatoes chopped
• 4 green chilies slitted
• 1 cup yogurt
• 3 tbsp ginger & garlic paste
• 2 tbsp coriander powder
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ½ cup chopped coriander leaves
• ¼ cup cooking oil
• 1 ½ tsp salt

For preparing rice:

• 5 cups Basmati Rice washed & soaked for 30 minutes
• 2 inch piece of cinnamon stick
• 4 pods of green cardamom
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 5 tbsp salt
• 3 tbsp of oil
• 8 litres of water

For Dum Cooking:

• 1 cup fried onion Birishta
• ½ cup fried nuts optional
• ¼ cup milk with a pinch of yellow food color and 1 tsp rose water.
• 4 tbsp of ghee or butter
• ½ cup chopped coriander leaves + few mint leaves
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• 1 tbsp of shahi jeera optional

Instructions

 

For Biryani Masala

• Dry roast whole spices ( black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, fennel seeds) almonds and poppy seeds till they start giving a pleasant aroma. Set aside.
• Heat 1 tbsp oil in same pan and fry ginger, garlic, green chilies and onion. In a grinder combine all of the above ingredients and grind to a smooth paste. If needed add very little water.

For preparing the gravy

• Wash mutton pieces and marinade with yogurt, ginger & garlic paste and salt as required for about 1 hour.
• Heat oil in a pressure cooker and fry onion till light golden. Add whole green chilies, tomatoes, turmeric and coriander powder and fry till tomatoes are cooked and oil starts separating. (The raw smell of spices should turn aromatic).
• Now add the marinated mutton pieces and cook on high flame for about 2 minutes stirring constantly.
• Finally, add biryani masala paste along with half cup of water and salt. Stir well, close the lid and cook till mutton is just done. (Do not over cook the mutton). Once the mutton is cooked add lemon juice and chopped coriander leaves and cook for another minute. Now the gravy is ready but keep it warm.

To prepare rice

• Heat a big size cooking pot and boil water in it. Water should be filled up to 3/4 of its capacity. Once the water starts boiling, add all whole spices along with salt, vinegar and oil. Now slowly add the soaked rice and cook till it is 80% done. Sieve the rice in large colander and keep the rice warm.

For Dum Cooking

• Keep an old pan on heat for preheating (to keep the biryani pot on it for dum cooking).
• Take a large non stick pan and add the mutton gravy as first layer (preserve some gravy if you find it in excess). Now spread half of the cooked rice evenly and loosely over the gravy without pressing it.
• Sprinkle the coloured milk (2 to 3 tsp), fried onion, garam masala powder, shahi jeera and chopped herbs.
• Spread rest of the rice and repeat the step 4.
• Finally, pour melted ghee or butter and make big deep dents into the rice so that the steam can come to the surface. Cover the pot with an aluminium foil and place the lid in a way that no steam escapes. Place the biryani pot on the preheated hot pan and cook on low flame for about 15 minutes.
• When you see that the foil is up with lot of steam, switch off the flame and keep the biryani covered for another 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes open the lid and serve the biryani hot with Raita

Keyword Biryani, Mutton, Rice

If you have any queries regarding the recipe, do mention them in the comments section and I shall get back to you.

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