Mutton Briyani Recipe - using Pressure Cooker

Whats Sunday without non veg?. And what makes it more special is everyones favourite biriyani. This is the recipe we follow in our home for long and my husband loves it. You may be bit hesitant seeing the long procedure. But its definitely worth the try. And once you master it, making it is just a breeze. Follow the recipe as such and its sure to be your favourite. Give it a try and let me know.

Ingredients:

For marinating and cooking the mutton:

Marinating the mutton:

• Mutton - 300gms
• Ginger garlic paste - 1teaspoon
• Chilli powder - 2teaspoon
• Thick curd -1tsp
• Turmeric powder - a pinch
• Salt - just as required for the mutton alone.

Cooking the mutton:

• Small onion - peeled and chopped - 1/2cup packed
• Tomato -1 chopped
• Coriander leaves - 1 small bunch
• Water - as required to cook mutton
• Oil - 1 and 1/2 tsp

For the biriyani masala paste:

• Green chilli - 8( I used long variety)
• Fennel seeds - 1tsp
• Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
• Cardamom -1
• Cloves - 2
• Cashews - around 10
• Ginger Garlic paste - 1tsp
• Ghee - 1tsp

For preparing briyani:

• Seeraga Samba rice - 1 and 1/2 cups
• Big onion - 1 sliced
• Mint leaves - 1 fistful
• Coriander leaves - 1 fistful
• Salt - as needed
• Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp
• Lemon juice - just a little squeeze
• Water - Mutton cooked water + Coconut milk - 2.5cups for 1.5 cups rice.

To temper:

• Ghee + Refined oil - 1tsp + 2tsp
• Cinnamon - little piece
• Clove -1
• Bay leaf -1
• Star anise -1
• Fennel seeds - 1/2tsp

Method:

1. Clean and wash mutton pieces well. Marinate them with the items given under "Marinating the mutton" section for 15 minutes.

2. Wash rice and soak it water and set aside.

3. Peel the small onions and chop them, Chop tomato. 

4. Once mutton is marinated, heat cooker with oil, add small onion, saute for a minute. Add tomato, coriander leaves and saute for a minute, Add the marinated mutton, water and close the cooker. Simmer it after 1 whistle till the mutton is 3/4 cooked(about 7 mins). Dont let it cook completely. In the forthcoming processes, mutton will be cooked further. So see that it is 3/4 cooked but not less than that also.

5. While the mutton is cooking, lets prepare the biriyani paste. Roast the ingredients under "For the biriyani masala paste" section except the ginger garlic paste with 1tsp ghee just for a minute. Let it cool.

6. In a small mixie jar, add the roasted items with ginger garlic paste and little to water to grind to smooth paste.

7. Extract coconut milk and set aside. Slice the onion and keep ready mint and coriander leaves.

8. Once the mutton is 3/4 cooked, drain the mutton cooked water and keep aside. You need the mutton cooked water (stock). DO NOT DISCARD it. Measure the water (I got 1 and 1/2 cups) and coconut milk to 2.5 cups. If needed add extra water to make 2.5 cups. Keep aside in a vessel. Set the mutton aside.

9.  In a cooker, add the items under "To temper".

10. Add the sliced big onion and saute till lightly browned.

11. Add the mint and coriander leaves and saute. Add the ground biriyani masala paste. Add 1 or 2 tsp of water and mix well and simmer the flame for five minutes. Stir occasionally. This is for the raw smell to leave. 

12. Add the cooked mutton and mix well. Simmer for  five minutes. Stir occasionally so that the mutton does not stick to the bottom.

13. Add the garam masala and mix.

14. Add the mutton cooked water and coconut milk (Both jointly consituting 2.5 cups) which you have set aside in a vessel. Mix well. Add required salt and mix well(remember there is salt in mutton as well. Adjust according to that).

15. Drain the water completely from the soaked rice, and add it to the cooker. Mix well. Close the cooker without weight. Once steam starts coming add the weight and immediately simmer the flame.

16. Simmer for ten mins. Switch off and let the pressure release by itself. Open the cooker , squeeze a bit of lemon and mix lightly. Serve hot with raita and egg!.

Notes:

• Be careful with the water quantity. You dont want to your briyani to turn soggy. Just 2.5 cups(mutton stock+coconut milk+water if needed) for 1.5 cups pre-soaked rice.
• I use seerga samba as it is the one which is best for this dish. If unavailable use basmati.