Mutton Briyani

Ingredients: (for 5 cups rice)
1 1/2 kg mutton
5 cups Basmati Rice
6 dry red chilies (deseeded)
2 tbsp garlic pasted
1 ½ tbsp ginger pasted
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp poppy seeds
5 pepper corns
½ tsp garam masala powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
Whole spices (4 Bay leaves, 2 Cinnamon sticks, ¼ tsp black cumin, 3 Cardamom pods, 1 star anise)
6 tbsp oil
6 tbsp Ghee
2 Big red onions
12 whole green chilies deseeded
A handful of chopped coriander leaves
A handful of mint leaves
3 small tomatoes
4 tbsp lemon juice
Few strands Saffron (optional)
1 tsp rose water
Salt
A handful of Fried onions, cashew nuts and dry raisins for garnishing.


Method:

Soak the Poppy seeds in ½ cup of warm water for about 10 minutes.
Soak the saffron strands in 3 tbsp warm milk and let it dissolve.
Wash the rice until it becomes white.
Make a fine paste of dry red chilies, cumin, fennel seeds, pepper corns, coriander seeds, poppy seeds and half of the deseeded green chilies.
Chop the onions very finely lengthwise.
Deseed the remaining green chilies and slit them lengthwise.
Chop the tomatoes lengthwise very finely.
Wash the mutton and sprinkle some turmeric and mix well.

Now that everything is ready, Heat the oil and the ghee together in a pressure cooker, add the whole spices (Bay leaves, cinnamon sticks.etc.) and splutter, add the onions, add salt and stir fry until slightly brown, add the green chilies and the coriander and mint leaves, fry until a nice aroma of mint comes out.

Add the chopped tomatoes and stir fry until oil separates from the sauce; add the ginger garlic pastes and continue stir frying. Add the mutton and fry for about 3 minutes and then add the pasted mixture along with the garam masala powder. Fry for another 3 minutes. Pressure cook up to 5 whistles or for approximately 20 minutes.

Open and add 8 cups of warm water to the sauce and let it come to boil. Transfer the sauce to a rice cooker with the rice. Add the lemon juice and cook it. When the rice is almost done, sprinkle some saffron milk and the rose water on the top and continue until done.

If a rice cooker is not used, then transfer the sauce and the rice in a double bottomed vessel, cover it air-tightly, place another flat pan below the vessel, forget it for about 30 minutes on low medium flame.

Meanwhile, fry the cashew nuts and dry raisins on medium heat in a little ghee.

Garnish it with crispy fried onions, fried cashew nuts and dry raisins.
Traditionally Briyani is accompanied by a Onion Raita, Tomato Thithipu and an Eggplant Thalippu.