EID SPECIAL

MUTTON BIRYANI

Ingredients

Basmati rice - 500 grams
Mutton (diced into small pieces) - 1kg
Garam masala - 2 tsp
Red chillies - 6 nos.
Cashew nuts - about a handful
Onions (chopped) - 1 large
Cloves - 5 nos.
Cinnamon sticks - 2 nos.
Cardamom - 2 nos.
Green chillies - 3 nos. or to taste
Fresh coriander (chopped) - 6 sprigs
Mint (chopped) - 1 small bunch
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Saffron (dissolved in ¾ cup milk) - 3 tsp
Yogurt (beaten) - 1 cup
Lime - 2 nos.
Boiled eggs - 4 nos.
Ghee /Oil - 5 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Preparation

Grind the chillies and cashew nuts together.
Mix the mutton pieces with the ginger-garlic paste and the beaten yogurt and keep aside.
Heat four tablespoons of ghee/oil and fry the chilli paste. To this add the mutton, one-fourth of the fried onion, 1 tsp garam masala and salt to taste.
As the ghee separates from the mixture, add one and a half cups of warm water and pressure cook till softens.
Take a wide vessel, fry the whole spices in 1 tablespoon ghee/oil.
Add the rice and fry a little, add green chillies and salt to taste and enough water for the rice to cook.
When the rice is cooked, spread it on a plate and remove the spices.
Make a green mixture of the chopped coriander, pudina, garam masala and fried onions and keep aside.
Take another wide vessel (thick bottomed) and line it with ghee, spread a layer of rice in it and cover it with half the mutton. Spread half of the green mixture and the juice of a lime on it.
Put a layer of rice followed by a layer of mutton and finish with a final layer of rice. Spread saffron milk and some ghee on the top layer of rice.
Cover tightly and cook for 20 minutes over slow fire.
Garnish with boiled eggs.
Serve hot.

NAWABI BIRYANI

Ingredients

Basmati rice - 325 grams
Mutton (cut in pieces) - 1/2 kg
Onions (sliced) - 3 nos.
Ginger-garlic paste - 1/2 tbsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 3 nos.
Cinnamon stick - 1 no.
Yogurt (beaten) - 1/2 cup
Green cardamom - 3 nos.
Pepper corn - 5 nos.
Cloves - 5 nos.
Shahjeera - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Saffron soaked in warm milk - 1/4 cup
Coriander (chopped) - few sprigs
Mint (chopped) - 1 handful
Apricots - 5 nos.
Dry fruits - as per taste
Ghee - as required

Preparation

Fry the dry fruits & apricots in ghee with a little salt to taste.
Fry onions and add to the red chillies. Grind to a fine paste.
Marinate the mutton pieces with curd, ginger-garlic paste, onion paste, turmeric powder and salt.
In a pressure cooker heat the ghee, add the marinated mutton and pressure cook till done.
Heat some ghee in another vessel, add the whole spices, fry for a while and then add the washed rice.
Add salt and warm water so that the water level reaches 1½ inches above the rice and cook till the rice is done.
Remove the vessel from the flame, spread out to cool and remove the whole spices.
Apply ghee to a heavy bottomed vessel, add the cooked mutton and sprinkle a little garam masala on it.
Cover with a layer of rice, followed by melted ghee and saffron milk.
Lastly, add the fried nuts. Cover tightly and cook on slow fire for 15-20 minutes.
Mix and serve hot garnished with chopped coriander & mint.

FISH BIRYANI

Ingredients

Fish - 1 kg
Basmati rice - 1 kg
Onions (big) - 1 kg
Tomato - 1/2 kg
Crushed ginger - 1 cup
Green chillies - 1 cup
Crushed garlic - 1 cup
Coriander leaves - ¼ cup
Mint leaves - ¼ cup
Dry fruits - Cashew nuts, raisins - 100 grams each
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tbsp
Salt - as required
Lemon juice - 2 tsp
Garam masala - 2 tsp
Oil - As required
Ghee - 400 grams

Preparation

Slice the fish into medium pieces, breadth wise.
Marinate the fish with salt, chillies and turmeric powder. Shallow fry and keep aside.
Clean the rice and drain well. Cook the rice in thrice the quantity of water after adding sufficient salt. When almost ready, sprinkle the garam masala over it.
Sauté half the quantity of onions in a little ghee until golden brown.
Similarly, fry the cashew nuts and raisins in ghee and keep aside.
Sauté the remaining onions in ghee, add the ginger and garlic and tomatoes. Add sufficient salt and lemon juice to it.
Take a large vessel put a layer of rice at the bottom, then spread a layer of sautéed masala, fried fish, coriander leaves and mint leaves, then put some more rice over it as next layer and repeat till all the ingredients are over.
Garnish with a few onions, cashew nuts and raisins. Close the vessel with a tight lid and place it in an oven and bake until the top layer becomes brown.
Serve hot with green salad.

HYDERABADI BIRYANI

Ingredients

Lamb (diced) - 900 grams
Onions (finely sliced) - 4 nos.
Plain yoghurt, beaten - 450 grams
Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Salt - 2 tbsp
Tomatoes (puréed) - 1 cup
Turmeric - ¼ tsp
Ground coriander - 1 tbsp
Ground garam masala - 1 tsp
Cloves - 4 nos.
Pepper corn - 6 nos.
Bay leaves - 2 nos.
Black cardamom - 2 nos.
Cinnamon stick - 1 nos.
Garlic (crushed) - 2 cloves
Ginger (crushed) - a 2 cm piece
Potatoes (peeled and cut into 3-4 cm chunks) - 225 grams
Basmati rice - 600 grams
Saffron soaked in 100 ml water - 1 large pinch

For the garnish

Boiled eggs - 3 nos.
Cashew nuts - 10 grams
Blanched almonds - 10 grams
Sultanas - 20 grams
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp

Preparation

Wash the rice and leave it to soak for 30 minutes.
In a heavy based saucepan heat the oil and add onions. Sauté until dark golden brown.
Keep aside about 2 tbsp of the chopped onions to use later as garnish.
Add the meat to the sautéed onions and cook till evenly browned.
Add the pepper corn, cloves, bay leaves, 1 tablespoon salt, chillies, turmeric, coriander and tomatoes, as well as the ginger, garlic and yoghurt. Also add in 200 ml water.
Leave to cook for 45 minutes until the meat is tender. Stir frequently to prevent meat from sticking to the bottom of the pan and add water if necessary.
Once meat is ready, add potatoes, garam masala and cover. Cook until potatoes are ready (about 10-15 minutes). Take the dish off the stove and place aside.
Next, fill a large pan with water. Add 1 tablespoon salt, cinnamon and cardamoms. Bring to boil. Add rice to water, and cook until the rice is done.
Once cooked, drain the rice and keep aside.
In a dish, first place a layer of rice (2.5-3.5 cm deep) then a layer of meat. Keep on layering until both rice and meat are used up finishing with a layer of rice at top.
Drizzle saffron over the top layer of rice and garnish with fried onions.
Cover with a tight lid and place on the stove for 10-15 minutes to steam.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a frying pan and roast the almonds, cashew nuts and sultanas until golden brown.
Transfer rice and meat to a hot serving dish, fluff up the rice with a fork then garnish with sliced boiled eggs and fried nuts.

EASY MUTTON BIRYANI*

Ingredients

Rice - 2 cups
Mutton (cut into small pieces) - 3/4 kg
Ginger - a 2 inch piece
Garlic - 8-10 cloves
Mint leaves - 1 handful
Coriander leaves - 1 handful
Curds - 1 cup
Pepper - 8 - 10 nos.
Cloves - 4-5 nos.
Bay leaf - 1 nos.
Green cardamom - 3-4 nos.
Onions - 3 nos. (sliced)
Biryani masala- 3 tsp
Salt to taste

Preparation

Grind the ginger, garlic, mint, coriander, curd & little salt.
Marinate the meat in the above mixture for 30 minutes.
Add 2 cups of water to the marinated meat and pressure cook till done.
Heat the oil, add the remaining spices, sliced onions, salt and biryani masala. Fry till oil separates.
In a pressure cooker, add soaked basmati rice and meat mixture along with water and fried onions.
Pressure cook till done.
Garnish with fried onions, nuts and slices of boiled egg.

PRAWN BIRYANI*

Ingredients

Prawns medium sized (shelled) - 500 grams
Onions medium sized (chopped finely) - 3 nos.
Ginger and garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Tomatoes (chopped) - 2 nos.
Green chillies - 2 nos.
Coriander leaves (chopped) - 4 tbsp.
Garam masala powder - 2 tbsp
Dhania powder - 1 tsp
Amchur powder - 1 tsp
Cardamom powder - 1tsp
Basmati rice - 500 grams

Preparation

Fry the rice with 1/4th the quantity of the onions till it turns pink. Add water and cook. Keep aside.
Fry the rest of the onions till brown.
Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for a minute more.
Add the tomatoes and prawns.
Once the water has evaporated, add the dry masala and salt. Cook for a minute.
Layer the rice and the prawn mixture in a covered pan. Top it with the coriander leaves.
Seal the lid of the vessel using a dough made from wheat. Cook on low fire till done.
Serve hot with raita.

BIRYANI LAZEEZ*

Ingredients

Unripe jackfruit - 150 grams
Basmati rice - 2 cups
Mint leaves (roughly shredded) - 2/3 cup
Green cardamom - 4 nos.
Black pepper corn (roughly ground) - 10 nos.
Onions (thinly sliced) - 2 nos.
Green chillies (slit in half) - 4 nos.
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Cooking oil - 1 cup

Preparation

Heat half cup oil in a saucepan and fry the jack fruit till brown.
Wash the rice and drain the excess water.
In a pressure cooker, heat a tablespoon of oil.
Slice onions and fry till they turn pink.
Add sliced jackfruit, mint leaves green chillies, salt, garam masala and the rest of the spices.
Stir for about 5 minutes on low heat.
Add rice.
Add four cups water and stir well.
Close the lid of the cooker and let it cook.
Remove from fire after the second whistle.
Serve with raita.