Mutton Dum Biryani with Saffron and Fried Onions

What you need

• 500 g (1 lb) bone-in mutton or goat, curry cut, in 4-5 cm (2 in) pieces
• 200 g (3/4 cup) thick plain yogurt, whisked smooth
• 30 g (1 oz) fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• 10 cloves garlic, peeled
• 4 green chilies
• 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 1/4 tsp garam masala, divided
• 4 large onions, very thinly sliced
• 4 tbsp neutral oil
• 4 tbsp ghee, divided
• 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
• 3 bay leaves, divided
• 6 green cardamom pods, lightly cracked, divided
• 8 whole cloves, divided
• 2 cinnamon sticks, 5 cm (2 in) each, divided
• 1 mace blade
• 1 bunch mint, leaves picked and chopped, divided
• 1 handful cilantro, chopped
• 400 g (2 cups) aged basmati rice
• 1 pinch saffron threads
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) whole milk, warm
• salt, to taste

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Blend the ginger, garlic and chilies to a coarse paste with a splash of water.

2. 2

   Mix the mutton with the yogurt, half the paste, the chili powder, turmeric, 1 tsp garam masala and 1 tsp salt. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

3. 3

   Rinse the rice in several changes of water until it runs almost clear, then soak it for 30 min.

4. 4

   Heat the oil in a wide heavy pot over medium heat and fry the onions, stirring often, until deep golden brown, 20-25 min. Lift out half and spread them on paper towels to crisp; leave the rest in the pot.

5. 5

   Add 2 tbsp ghee to the pot with 2 bay leaves, 3 cardamom pods, 4 whole cloves, 1 cinnamon stick and the mace. Stir until they sizzle and smell fragrant, 30 seconds.

6. 6

   Stir in the rest of the paste and the remaining 1/4 tsp garam masala and cook for 1 min, then add the tomatoes with a pinch of salt and cook until they collapse, 5-6 min.

7. 7

   Add the marinated mutton and half the mint and stir over medium-high heat for 3 min. Pour in 125 ml (1/2 cup) water, cover and simmer on low until the mutton is tender and the sauce is thick, 45-60 min. Stir now and then so it does not stick.

8. 8

   While the mutton cooks, warm the milk and drop in the saffron to steep.

9. 9

   Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil with 1 tbsp salt and the remaining bay leaf, cardamom, whole cloves and cinnamon.

10. 10

    Drain the soaked rice, add it to the boiling water and cook until three-quarters done, 4-5 min. A grain pressed between two fingers should still have a firm core.

11. 11

    Drain the rice well and spread it in an even layer over the mutton in the pot.

12. 12

    Drizzle over the saffron milk and the remaining 2 tbsp ghee, then scatter on the cilantro, the rest of the mint and most of the crisp onions.

13. 13

    Seal the pot with foil, press the lid on tightly and cook on the lowest heat for 20 min. Turn off the heat and leave it closed for 10 min more.

14. 14

    Open the pot, fold gently from the bottom up so each serving gets rice and mutton, and top with the remaining crisp onions.

Imported from archanaskitchen.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.