Oven Baked Mutton Biryani

• Preparation time: 1 hours

• Cooking time: 60minutes

• Servings: 4-6 people

Introduction:

Dum Biryani is based on basmati rice and goat meat along with so many exotic  spices,yogurt, and lemon.There are so many variations in biryani’s such as pakki  biryani (in which mutton is already cooked with all the spices, and mixed with rice in layers), kache gosh ki biryani (in which raw mutton is mixed with all the spices and allow it to marinate overnight and next day this meat is allowed to  cook with half done rice over it) in both the cases the biryani is covered and sealed and cooked on low flame.You can make biryani with mutton ,chicken, beef, shrimps, and also with vegetable . Biryani can be eaten with Mirchi ka Salan, raita, tomato chutney ,papad.

Ingredients:

• Mutton ( boiled goat meat)1 kg

• Basmati rice 1 kg

• Cardamom (Ilaichi) 4-6

• Cinnamon  (dalchini) 1 inch

• Black peppers (kali mirch) 7-8

• Cloves (lovang)4-6

• Bay leaves 3-4

• Onion (thin sliced ) 3 cups

• Tomatoes(finely chopped)3 cups

• Ginger (cut into small pieces) 1/2 cup

• Garlic 1/2 cup

• Coriander leaves 1 cup

• Green chili 7 to 8

• Yogurt 2 cups

• Turmeric powder 1 teaspoon

• Garam masala powder 1 teaspoon

• Mint leaves 1 cup

• Lemon juice 1 cup

• Cooking oil 4 tablespoon

• Red chili powder 2 teaspoon

• Kasuri methi 2 teaspoon

• Ghee  4 teaspoon (for greasing and layering)

• cashew nuts 6-8 for garnishing

• Orange food color 1 teaspoon

• Salt to taste.

Procedure For making Gravy:

1. First make  fine paste of ginger, garlic ,coriander leaves and green chili (optional) in a grinder and set aside.

2. Heat sufficient oil in a wide pan  and fry the sliced onions till brown and crisp and then add hand full of mint leaves and fry for few minutes , and take out 1/4th portion of fried onions, set aside for garnishing.

3. Now add  garam masala powder  and sauté for few seconds, then add turmeric powder , red chili powder salt to taste and sauté for few minutes. .

4. Then  add grinded paste of ginger garlic, coriander and green chili  and mix well and allow it to cook for 3-5 mintes.

5. Then add finely chopped tomatoes and allow it cook for few minutes until tomatoes are become soft.

6. Then add lemon juice mix well and keep cooking for few more seconds..

7. Finally add boiled mutton pieces mix well and allow it to cook covered for about 5 to 8 minutes.

8. Then add yogurt make sure the gas is very low , mix it well and sauté for few second.

9. Finally add kasuri methi mix well  and cook for few minutes and turn of the gas and set aside.

Procedure For Cooking Perfect Rice For Biryani:

• Cooking perfect rice for biryani is rather tricky, but if you follow the correct method you will never go wrong. You will get each grain separate and the biryani will turn out perfect.

      Choosing the rice

• A good quality Basmati rice should be used for a biryani . The grains should be long and have a nutty flavor which is further enhanced by the spices we use while making biryani.

   How much water to use

• To cook Basmati rice in a open pan , you should use at least three measures of water and one measure of rice . You could add more water but not less . Always make sure to use a big size pot , so that the rice cooks well without overflowing .

   Cooking the rice to perfection

• Wash and soak the rice in sufficient amount of water for 20-30 minutes then drain and set aside.
• Add the required amount of water in large wide pan and bring it to boil.
• Then add whole spices like cardamom, cinnamon,  cloves, black pepper, bay leaves, star anis, and bring it to boil.
• Add the rice to water only after the water has come to a rolling boil .
• Cook rice on full flame and do not move away from the pot .
• Keep an eye , we do not want to  over cooked rice .Check after 7-8 minutes .
• While cooking biryani we need firm rice, which can be further cooked. If the rice is completely cooked then biryani soft and mushy.

   Draining the rice:

• Keep your sieve or colander ready .
• As soon as the rice is 80% cooked , immediately drain the water .
• As soon as you drain the rice add cold water , it stops further cooking .

1. Layering:
2. 

3. Take a rectangular aluminum tray then add mutton gravy in to it .

4. 

5. Now add  all the boiled basmati rice over the mutton gravy.

6. 

7. Spread the basmati rice nicely all over the  gravy.

8. 

9. Now add orange or yellow food color

10. .

11. Add the fried onion and mint leaves all over the rice.

12. 

13. Add ghee.

14. 

15. Add Cashew nuts.

16. 

17. Cover the tray with good quality aluminum foil nice and tight.

18. 

19. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes at 350°F or 180 °C.

20. 

21. Take out the biryani after convenient time .

22. 

23. Mix it well and serve immediately.

25. 

26. Enjoy biryani with some freshly made raita.