Quick Mutton Biryani

Ingredients:

2 cups Basmati rice

1/2 kg mutton, washed and drained

1 cup thick buttermilk

3 cups water

2 cloves, 1 elachi, 1/2″ cinnamon stick, 1 marathi moggu

1-2 bay leaves

2 onions, finely sliced

3/4 tsp ginger garlic paste

1 large tomato finely chopped

1 tsp red chilli pwd (adjust)

1/4 tsp turmeric pwd

1 tsp coriander pwd

very small pinch of nutmeg pwd

little less than 1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves

1/4 cup pudina leaves

salt to taste

3 tbsps ghee + 1 tbsp oil

Biryani masala, make pwd:

3 cloves

1″ cinnamon stick

1 elaichi

pinch of shah jeera

pinch of jeera/cumin seeds

small piece of japathri/mace

1/2 anaasa puvvu/star anise

For marinade:

juice of half lemon

1 1/2 tbsps curd

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste

3-4 whole green chillis without stalks

1/4 tsp red chilli pwd

1/2 tsp coriander pwd

few mint leaves

Method

1 Marinate the mutton with the ingredients called for ‘marinade’. Keep aside for 20 mts. While the mutton is marinating, work on the rest of the preparation.

1. Wash Basmati rice. No need to soak in water
2. Slice onions
3. Chop tomato
4. Pick pudina leaves and chop the coriander leaves
5. Prepare biryani masala pwd
6. Beat curd to form thick buttermilk

2 Heat 1 tbsp oil + 2 tbsps ghee in a pressure cooker vessel, add the bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, marathi mogga, elaichi and saute for a few secs. Add sliced onions, saute for 7-8 mts. Add the ginger garlic paste and coriander-pudina leaves and saute further for another 5 mts.
2 Add turmeric pwd and red chilli pwd, saute for another 2 mts. Add the chopped tomatoes and saute for 3-4 mts. Add the marinated mutton along with 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Pressure cook mutton till it is almost cooked, upto 3 whistles. Turn off heat and cool. Remove lid and you will find that it will appear like a thick gravy. If the gravy appears very watery, cook further without lid till it forms a thick gravy.
3 Turn on the heat again, add 3 cups of water and 1 cup of thick buttermilk. Add the biryani masala and nutmeg pwd. Add salt (remember we have added 1/2 tsp of salt to the mutton marinade, so add salt accordingly). Add the drained basmati rice and combine. Pressure cook upto 2 whistles and turn off heat. Once pressure is off, remove lid, pour a tbsp of ghee and combine carefully. Serve hot with raita.