Hyderabadi Kheema Biryani

Here i come again with Biryani. The one and only hyderabadi Biryani. Biryani comes in many variations, kachi biryani, pakki biryani,kheema biryani and prawn biryani. Prawns biryani is not that famous but yes the other biryanis of hyderabad are most sort by the foodies.

I never get bored when it comes to making biryani. And husband too loves to make them. These days he is more into cooking and tries a lot of recipes. This biryani too he made, i just helped him in mixing the biryani just before eating it. This biryani is little lengthy but its worth the hard work. Yummiest biryani i have ever ate.

When it comes to kheema biryani my elder sister loves it, when ever we went  to restaurant she used to order it. So this post is for her.

Ingredients:-

Kheema curry:-

Kheema (mutton) can replace with chicken kheema 1 lbs
Onions chopped 2
Green chillies 3 chopped
Ginger garlic paste 2 tbsp
Coriander powder 2 tbsp
Cumin powder 1 tsp
Garam masala powder 1 tsp
Green peas 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves 1/4 cup chopped
Mint leaves 1/2 cup chopped
Tomato paste (1 small tomato)
Salt to taste
Oil 4 tbsp
Ghee 2 tbsp

For Rice

Basmati rice 1 1/2 glass (i used a regular water tumbler)
Oil 5 tbsp
Salt to taste
Potli Masala ***
Onions sliced 1
Green chillies 3 silted
Coriander leaves few
Mint leaves few

Potli Masala ***

Dagad phool little
Cinammon 2 1inch pcs
Cloves 4
Biryani leaf 2
Pepper 10-15 pods
Elachi 2-3 pods
Shahi zeera 1/4 tsp
Star anise 1

Take a muslin cloth and keep all the above masala in the middle of the cloth, gather four edges and tie it tightly.

Lets make the kheema first

Take oil and ghee in a cooker. Add onions and green chillies.

Sprinkle salt as it assist in frying the onions quickly.

Once onions are fried, add coriander and mint leaves.

Fry for a while. Add kheema. Mix well.

Add ginger garlic paste. Mix thoroughly and let the raw smell of ginger garlic paste goes.

Add coriander powder,cumin powder,red chilly powder and garam masala.

Then include 1/2 cup of water and pressure cook for 2 whistles.

Once cool add peas, tomato paste and cook for a while until a thick gravy. You know it when oil starts coming oozing out from the edges.Put the flame to min.

Now lets make the rice

Now take a heavy bottom pan with oil in it Once hot add onions and green chillies. Saute for a while and add the potli masala.

For 1 1/2 glass of rice take 3 glasses of hot water.

Add 3 glass of hot water to the onions. Add coriander leave and mint leaves. Add salt and 1/2 tsp of lime juice.

When water starts to boil add rice. Simmer until the rice is done.

Now spread the kheema on top of the rice. Cover and cook for 5 minutes in a low flame.

Switch of the flame and let it rest for another 5-6 minutes.

Mix gently and serve hot with raita and raw onions.

This recipe is from my fav chef Sanjay tumma (Vah reh Vah chef)

Restaurant Style Chicken Biryani

My family loves biryani and we make biryani every week on Sundays. This is Sanjay Tumma recipe and it's a restaurant style biryani. All spices are grounded into fine powder so that while eating you don't get whole spices in the biryani. Here goes the recipe :-

Ingredients :-

Spice powder***

Dagad phool
Pepper 1/2 tsp
Biryani leaf 3
Cinammon 2 inch pc
Cloves 5
Star anise 1
Shahi zeera 1 tbsp
Black cardamom 2
Mace two small pcs

Make a fine powder of all the above ingredients.

For marination:-

Chicken 1 pounds
Curd 1 cup
Salt to taste
Oil 1/4 cup
Spices powder ***
Coriander powder 2 tbsp
Cumin powder 1 tbsp
Red chilly powder 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves 1/2 cup chopped
Mint leaves 1/4 cup chopped
Lemon juice (half lemon)
Fried onions 2
(keep some for later use)

Marinate over night

Other ingredients:-

Safforn few strands
4 tbsp of warm milk
Rose water 1 tbsp
Wheat flour
Water

Make soft dough with wheat flour and water.

Soak safforn in warm milk.

Soak basmati rice 2 big glasses for one hour.

After one hour boil water in a heavy bottom pan .Add 2 tbsp of oil, 1 tbsp of Shahi zeera and bay leaf (2)

Add enough salt in the water. The water should be salty.

In a thick bottom vessel take the marinate chicken and press it firmly to the bottom of the vessel.

Once water boils add the soaked rice. Cook till the rice is half done. Take the rice from the water and spread it on the chicken.

Sprinkle safforn soaked milk and rose water on the rice.

Spread fried onions.

Seal the vessel with dough. And place another bowl with water on top of this bowl.

Cook on high flame for 5 minutes and reduce the flame to medium and cook for 30 minutes.

Check if the steam is coming out. The steam should not escape. The raw chicken will get cooked in the dum.

Half an later switch off the flame and let it rest for another 10-15 minutes. Serve hot with mirchi ka salan and raita.

Hyderabad Vegetable Dum Biryani

I know for some it is boring to eat veg biryani. But once a while pure non-vegetarian should eat some veggies. My husband doesn't like veg biryani. When he is working on sunday's/saturday's i make veg rice/pulao/biryani. This is not as famous as Hyderabad Chicken/Mutton dum biryani among non-vegetarians but famous with people who don't non-veg.

Ingredients:

Ingredients for marination

Veggies- Carrot
             Potato
             Beans
             Peas
             Cauliflower
Curd 1 cup
Ginger and garlic paste 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Red chilly powder 1 tsp
Shahi zeera 1/4 tsp
Clove 2
Cinnamon 1/4 inch stick
Marathi Mooga 1
Star anise 1
Chopped Mint leaves  1/3rd cup
Chopper coriander leaves 1/3rd cup
Fried Onion 1/2 cup
Oil 2 tbsp
Green chilies 2

Marinate for 1 hour.

Basmati Rice 2 cups
Shahi zeera 1 tsp
Clove 2
Cinnamon /4 inch stick
Green chillies 2
Coriander and mint leaves few

Soak rice with the above masala for 1 hour.

For layering

Fried onions 1/4 cup
Saffron soaked in milk
Dagad Phool little
Biryani leaf 1
Lemon juice 2 tbsp
Coriander and mint leaves chopped few

Method:-

Take a pan. Add 4 tbsp oil. Add the marinate veggies. Cover and cook until gravy forms.

Cook rice until it is 3/4 done. Drain the water from the rice.

On the veggies sprinkle lemon juice,dagad phool and bay leaves.

Spread rice on the veggies.

Sprinkle saffron water.

Spread fried onions,coriander leaves and mint leaves.

Cover the bowl with foil and cook on dum for 1/2 hr on low flame.

I always place a pan under the bowl so that the flame doesn't reach the bowl directly and the biryani is cooked on low flame without vapors escaping.

Enjoy biryani with raita and mirchi ka salan.

           
           

Golkonda Biryani and a Celebration

25th jan 2009 was the day i posted my first recipe Capsicum Rice. The journey continued for last five years and made me a better person, i should say a better cook. Learnt a lot and learning continues.....

The stats says: 5 years of blogging
                      363+ recipes
                      385 readers
                      729634 hits

I would like to thank all my readers, without you all i wouldn't have completed five years of blogging...

And also i would like to thank my mom for been my inspiration to cook...My mom was a working women and every day morning i used to assist her doing small things in our kitchen. Had my mom shooed me from the kitchen i wouldn't have learnt cooking.

Then i would like to thank my husband and kids. In particular husband been a foodie who loves food and of lately trying out recipes and giving me break. Lastly but not the least my kids, who bear with me when i am taking pictures of the food to post in on my blog.

Today i am posting biryani done by my husband. Most of the hyderabadi who visited hotel golkonda would have tasted their biryani. When i used to work in hyderabad i used to have monthly meetings in hotel Golkond and i used to eat. Now its almost a decade i went their and almost forgot the taste of the biryani their.

Husband was browsing youtube videos and chanced upon  golkonda biryani recipe. So he made it and i should say it was awesome. The colour,texture and taste was awesome.

 What is needed ?

Mutton 1 pound
Ginger garlic paste 2 tbsp
Mint chopped half a cup
Coriender leaves half a cup
Curd 2 cups
Oil 3 tbsp
Fried onions 1 cup
Salt to taste
Raw papaya paste 1/2 cup
Green chilly paste 2 tbsp

Marinate all of the above ingredients for 1-2 hours.

For rice

Basmati rice
Cinnamon 2 inch pc
Cloves 4-5
Elachi small 3-4
Mint chopped half a cup
Coriander half a cup chopped
Salt to taste

Take all the whole masala in a big bowl with water. Let the water comes to a boiling point. Add basmati rice. Cook until the rice is half cooked. Switch off the flame.

Other ingredients which are required are:-
Star anise 2
Biryani leaf 2
Patter ka phool little
Marathi mooga 1
Fried onions few
Mint and coriender leaves
Safforn soaked in warm milk
Lime juice 1/4 cup
Ghee 1/2 cup
Garam masala powder 1 tbsp

Now add star anise, biryani leaf, patter ka phool,marathi mooga and fried onions to the mutton.Then take out the rice from the water and spread it on the mutton. Pour ghee on the rice. Sprinkle lime juice,garam masala powder,fried onions,mint and coriander leaves.

Lastly add milk and saffron.

Cover it with foil and cook on high flame for 5 minutes and low the flame to minimum and cook for 30 minutes.

Biryani is best eaten with mirchi ka salan and raita. But if you are lazy like me biryani can be relished with only raita. ;)

Green masala chicken biryani

We love Biryani except my younger daughter, we are so used to eat non-veg but my little girl is vegetarian. Our favourite most biryani is the one and only Hyderabadi Dum biryani. We eat biryani atleast once in a week mostly its on Sundays. If we didn't eat biryani on Sunday we make it a point of eating a restaurant brought biryani. Here in Canada i didn't find any good restaurants which serves good hyderabadi biryani similar to Paradise, Bawarchi, Pista house or any biryani joints of Hyderabad.

 Having said this we get pakistani biryani. The taste of biryani is quite different and it is not as spicy as hyderabadi biryani. There is one joint which serves awesome biryani. Most of the times we grab two packs and warm it at home and eat it.
The biryani i ate here had lemon pieces and i was desperate to know why they have used the lemon pieces than the juice. I always used to say to husband what would be the ingredients used to make this biryani. Once i came across a website by name Pukka Paki by Sumayya Jamil and when i was browsing the menu i found this Green Masala Chicken  Biryani. I was impressed by the ingredients used and the procedure. I felt the procedure is lengthy but worth giving a try. I made this biryani few days back and it was awesome. The best part i liked is the chef used the lemon pieces rather than the juice of the lemon. I reduced the quantity of ingredients to match our taste. I adopted the same recipe and the procedure and omitted few ingredients. Here is the recipe and please check the original recipe here

Ingredients:-
Chicken 1 kg
Tomato chopped 1
Basmati Rice 1 kg
Oil 1 cup
Ghee 3 Tbsp
Lemon slices 4 (thin)
Clove 6
Cinnamon 2 2'' long sticks
Green cardamom 10
Pepper 15
Star anise 2
Salt to taste
                                                                    ****

Step 1

Yoghurt mixture

Onions 2
Curd 1 cup

Slice onions and deep fry. Mix the deep fried onions with curd and keep aside until use.

****

Step 2

Green masala paste

Ginger garlic paste 2 tbsp

Mint leaves 1 cup

Coriander leaves 2.5 cups

Green chillies 4

Turmeric 1/4 tsp

Chilli powder 1 tbsp

Make a smooth paste of the above ingredients

****

Step 3

Saffron few strands

Warm milk 1/2 cup

Soak saffron in the warm milk for 1 hour.

****

Step 4:-

Soak rice with cinnamon1, cloves 3, Cardamom 2 and star anise 1 for 1 hour.

****

Procedure:-

Take a deep pan with oil and ghee. Once hot add the chicken pieces and fry until they are brown in colour or until you see a brown layer on the chicken. Take them from the oil and keep aside until use.

Now in the same oil add the remaining masala (cloves,cinnamon,pepper,cardamom and star anise).

Then add chopped tomatoes and sauté until tomatoes leave oil.

Now add green masala paste. Cook until oil oozes out from the gravy.

Add chicken and yoghurt mixture along with salt. Mix thoroughly and let it cook for a while.

The gravy becomes little thick. Be careful to check that the gravy is not dry.

In the mean while add salt to the rice and cook until the rice is half cooked. Use a strainer to drain out the water from the rice.

In a thick bottom deep pan and pour the curry in it. Then add the rice on top of the curry and sprinkle saffron water and dig the lemon slices into the rice. More coriander leaves can be added here.

Close the pan with a foil and see that the vapours doesn't escape. Let it cook on medium for 30 minutes.

Serve hot with mirchi ka salan and raita. Mirch ka salan recipe is here

au revoir

Prawn Pulao

I am not much fan of sea food,the only fish i eat is Rogu,its a river water fish.I just love the taste of it.After coming here i never brought fish as mostly we get sea water fish which i don't like.But after coming here we are getting frozen prawns and kids love the fry i make.I blogged about the prawns fry here

The other day husband was not at home and daughter wanted to eat biryani and it was pretty cold out and i didn't dare to go out and get chicken.I had frozen prawns so i made this prawn pulao.This recipe i got it from my most treasured book "Kantamani Vantakalu".I carry this book where ever i go,it traveled with me which ever country i had been to. In school i didn't had telugu language and i the learnt only telugu alphabets.This book i am talking is in Telugu and i take my daughter's help to read it for me when husband is not around.Here is the recipe


Ingredients:

Prawns 1kg
Basmati rice 1 kg
Onions 4
Green chillies 8
Ginger garlic paste 2 tbsp
Milk 1 cup
Bay leaf 1
Cloves 6
Cinnamon 6 small pieces
Elachi 4
Mint leaves few
Coriander leaves few
Red chilly powder 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil 1 cup

Method:

Wash prawns and mix prawns with little salt,turmeric powder and red chilly powder.On a medium heat let the prawns cook in its water until dry.

In a deep bottom pan pour oil.Add 3 cloves,3 cinnamon, elachi 2, bay leaf, onions and green chillies.Once onions and chillies are fried throw in mint leaves.Add ginger garlic paste and sauté for a while until you think ginger garlic is cooked.

Then add the dried prawns mix well.

Add the rice to prawns.Mix well.Add enough salt.

Now pour  1 1/2 litre water (including milk).

Grind the rest left out cinnamon, cloves and cardamom into fine powder.

When the rice is half cooked,sprinkle the above masala powder and let the rice cook in low flame until done.

Serve hot.

Kaikari Biryani

Everyday sunday i don't miss Sanjeev kapoor's Khana Kazana on Zee tv.Yesterday he showed kaikari biryani and loved the ingredients he used so i noted the recipe and did this.Believe me the taste was awesome,i liked it more than the kids.

Ingredients:-

Basmati Rice 1 1/2 cups

Vegetables (Potatoes,tomatoes,beans,cauliflower,peas,carrot and Capsicum)

Onions chopped 1

Green chillies 3

Curry leaves few

Turmeric powder 1/4tsp

Lemon juice 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Oil 4 tbsp

Masala paste

Poppy seeds 1tbsp

Cumin seeds 1 tbsp

Coriander seeds 1 tbsp

Sauf 2 tbsp

Red dried chillies 4

Fresh grated coconut 1/4cup

Ginger 1' pc

Garlic 10

Take 1 tsp oil in a pan.Add poppy seeds,cumin seeds,coriander seeds,sauf,red chillies and coconut.Fry till light brown colour.When cool grind into smooth paste along with ginger and garlic.

For Masala

Cardamom 2

Cinnamon 1' pc

Clove 4

Mace 1'pc

Star anise 1

Black pepper 10

Nutmeg powder a pinch

Dry roast all the above and when cool grind into fine powder.

Method:-

In the remaining oil and once oil is hot add onions.Saute till light brown in colour.Add potatoes,carrot,beans,cauliflower and curry leaves.Stir.

Cover and cook on high for 4-5 minutes.Then add rice,tomatoes,peas,masala powder,masala paste and salt.Mix well.

Add capsicum,green chillies and mix well.

Now add enough water.I added 1 1/2 cup water to 1 cup rice.The amount of water depends on the rice used.

Once rice is done add lemon juice.Stir once and serve hot with raita or just plain curd.

Happy wedding anniversary to me.We both completed 9 years of togetherness.......

Zaika - e - Basmati - Khaas

I throughly enjoyed Master chef aired in Star plus.My fav contanstant were Zebi Zubair and Radhika.I thought these two ladies will be in the finals,but two didnt come to finals.Radhika just missed it and zebi got elimated before semi finals.I liked all the dishes cooked by Zebi Zubair.Few days back i tried her Zaika-e-basmati-khaas (actually it was a team effort).

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice 3 cups
Green Cardamom 3

Black Cardamom 4

Black Peppercorns 4
Salt to taste

Curd 1/2 cup

Amul Butter 1 tbspCumin seeds 1tsp

French Beans (boiled and finely chopped) 1tbsp

Cauliflower stem (boiled and finely chopped) 1 cup

Cabbage 1/2 cup chopped finely

Carrot chopped finely 1 cup

Cornflour 2 tbsp

Ginger-garlic paste 2 tspRed chilli powder 1tspOil for deep frying

Onion (finely sliced) 1

Mint leaves (shredded) 10 nos

Method:
For Koftas

Mix together corn flour with cabbage,carrot,beans,cauliflower,ginger garlic paste,red chilly powder and salt.Mix throughly and shape into koftas.Heat oil and deep fry koftas.Take them on a tissue and keep aside.

In the same oil fry onions and keep aside.

In a deep pan, boil 1½ cups of water with green cardamom, black cardamom and peppercorns for 5-7 minutes. Add salt, boil for two more minutes and keep aside.
In a bowl, whisk the curd with an equal amount of water.
In a deep vessel, heat butter and add cumin seeds. When cumin crackles, add spice water and curd water and bring to a boil. Mix in rice and some more salt if required. Boil the rice on a high flame and when rice is just undercooked, reduce the flame, cover the vessel and cook till done.

Serve the koftas on a bed of the prepared rice, sprinkled over with fried onions and mint leaves.

Murg Pulao

This is another recipe from Nita mehta Microwave cooking book.I have blogged about chicken biryani before and this one is quite different to what i have blogged and it is quick and easy to make.

Ingredients:-

Basmati Rice 1 cup

Chicken cut into pcs 1 cup

Salt as per taste

Turmeric powder 1/2tsp

Red chillies dried 3

Onions chopped 2

Ginger chopped 2tsp

Garlic 12-14 flakes

Cumin seeds 1tsp

Fennel seeds 2tsp

Cinnamon 1’’stick

Black cardamom 2

Cloves 3

Pepper 8

Method:-

Soak rice in 2 cups of water for 30 minutes.For the paste grind all the ingredients together,using some water.

Mix chicken and the prepared paste in a big micro proof dih.Cover and microwave for 3 minutes.

Add rice along with the water.Add salt and haldi.Cover and microwave for 13 minutes.

Separate the grains with a fork.Serve after 5 minutes.

Alu Tahari

Tahari or Tahri is the name given to the vegetarian version of the Biryani and is very popular in Pakistani and Indian homes. In Bangladesh, Tehri refers to Biryani prepared by adding the meat to the rice, as opposed to traditional Biryani where the rice is added to the meat.---info from Wikipedia.

I got this recipe from a pakistani tv show.This biryani calls for very less ingredients.When you don't have veggies at home or when you are lazy to cook a elaborate meal this is the ideal choice,just serve this biryani with raita of your choice.Here goes the recipe...

Ingredients:-

Basmati rice 2 cups (soaked for 1 hour)
Potatoes 4 (medium size) chopped into big pcs
Onions 2 chopped
Peas 1/4 cup (i used frozen peas,fresh peas can also be used)
Coriander powder 2 tbsp
Red chilly powder 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp
Salt as per taste
Oil 4 tbsp

Method:-

In a thick bottom vessel take oil.When hot add onions and fry till brown in colour.
Add chopped potatoes,coriander powder,red chilly powder,ginger garlic paste and turmeric powder.Mix throughly,cover and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add peas and rice.
Now add enough water for the rice to cook.I used 1 1/2 cup of water for 1 cup of rice.The amount of water depends on the rice used.
Serve hot with raita of your choice.

Hariyali Pulao

Here in UAE we get only one telugu channel.Back home when i went last saw many telugu channels airing cooking programs.I hardly used to watch Gemini and that is the only channel which i am forced to watch here.Every day at 10.30 local time they air a cooking program.I always jot down the recipes and do them on fridays.Last friday i did this pulao.This pulao is a mixture of mint and coriender leaves along with sabut masala.I served it with dhaniya chicken and mint raita.

Here goes the recipe:-

Ingredients:-

Basmati rice

Onions chopped 1

Potatoes chopped 2

Green chillies silted 2

Ginger garlic paste 2 tbsp

Shahi zeera 1 tsp

Bay leaves 2

Japatri

Elachi big 1

Cinammon 1'' pc

Cloves 3

Oil 2 tbsp

Salt as per taste

Make a paste of the below ingredients:-

Pudina/mint fresh 1 cup

Coriender leaves fres 1/2 cup

Method:-

Heat oil,add all the sabut garam masala.Fry till you get the nice aroma.

Add onions and green chillies.Fry till onion are pink in colour.

Add pudina and coriender paste.Saute till oil comes out.

Then add washed and drained rice.Mix thoroughly.

Add 1 1/2 glass water and salt as per taste.When water starts boiling add rice.

When rice starts dancing put the flame in medium and cover the vessel.

Check for the water,if you find water is less,add hot water to the rice.

When cooked,leave if for 5 mintues before serving.Serve it your choice of curry and raita.

Can find mint raita here

Chicken biryani

I have blogged about biryani before here.This is another type of biryani which i make quite often and this biryani calls for more ingredients.


Ingredients:-

Basmati Rice 1 kg (soaked for 30 minutes)

For marination

Chicken 1/2 kg
Fried Onions 2
Green chillies 3Ginger garlic paste 2 tbsp
Curd 1 cup
Cloves 2
Cinnamon small pc 2
Mace/Javithri 2 pcs
Green cardamom 2
Black cardamom 2
Bay leaves 2
Pepper 10 (whole)
Shahi zeera/black cumin 1 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tbsp
Red chilly powder 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder 1 tsp
Juice of 1 lime
Coriander leaves few
Mint leaves few
Salt as per taste
Oil 6-7 tbsp

Marinate all the above for atleast an hour.I usually keep the marination for a night and make biryani the following day.

Method:-

Take the marinated chicken in a deep and heavy bottom vessel.Press the chicken with spatula so that is even.Keep side.

Drain the soaked rice and keep aside.

Take 5 cups of water in a bowl.Put it on fire and add 2 tbsp oil and salt.Check the taste of water,if it is salty then the amount of salt added is right.

When water reaches boiling point,add the drained rice.

This is where care has to be taken that rice is not fully cooked.The rice for biryani should be half cooked.When the grains in the water start dancing check the rice.When the grain in taken between thumb and the second finger,if the grain is crushed then the rice is half cooked.Take the rice in a sieve and drain all the water.

Now spread rice on the top of chicken marination.Sprinkle fried onions,mint and coriander leaves.Lastly sprinkle saffron water.Food colour can be replaced with saffron.
Cover the vessel with a clean wet kitchen towel and place a tight lid over it.The steam should not escape.

Cook on high flame for 5 minutes and then on a low flame for 25 minutes.Don't open immediately,let is set for another 5-10 minutes.

Serve with mirch ka salan and raita of your choice.

My girl is getting impatient with my photo session.

PS:-The quantity of masala i have taken are according to our taste,if you want the biryani to be more spicy,masala can be increased.The masala i used are according to the taste buds of a 5 year old and 2 1/2 year old kid.

PS:-To get cripsy onions,sprinkle 1 tbsp of cornflour/rice flour to the sliced onions just before frying.

PS:-I added my recipe list to my blog

Hyderabadi Dum Gosh Biryani

Eddited to add the new pictures

Warning:- Post is very lengthy but worth reading and making it.

When we think of biryani the first thing we get in our mind is the famous dum biryani of hyderabad.Apart from pearls hyderabad is famous for its dum biryani.Biryani is of two types pakki and kacchi gosh biryani.Pakki biryani is where mutton/chicken is cooked and layered with half cooked rice and kacchi gosh is where raw mutton/chicken is layered with half cooked rice.

Both of these types are cooked in dum i.e. bowl in which the mutton and rice are layered and sealed with chapathi dough and hot charcoal is placed above that and the flame should be kept at low so that the mutton and the rice is cooked in this slow process. We must ensure that vapours do not escape. Sealing with the dough is a cumbersome process, so I use aliminum foil to seal it and don’t use charcoal. I have been cooking this biryani every Friday since last 5 years, one can only close to the art of mastering biryani by preparing it regularly.

Learnt this biryani from a aunty in Muscat (oman) who is from Hyderabad. Had many disaster with this like once forgot to add oil,didn’t add salt, didn’t add lemon. Now I can say with convection that I have come close to perfecting the art of preparing Dum biryani.This is my mom’s and m-law favourite biryani.

The taste of biryani depends upon the rice used.I use Pakistani basmati rice, which is one its kind.

Before I start writing recipe, I am happy to share with you all that I made century with this post.And thank you all for your encouraging comments and your support has helped me to reach here.Now coming to the recipe.

Ingredients:-

For the rice
Basmathi rice 1/2 kg
Cinammon 3 pcs
Cloves 4
Shahi zeera 1 tbsp
Green chillies 4
Big elachi 1
Small elachi 2
Pudina 1/2-1 cup
Soak rice with all the above ingredients for 2-3 hours.

For mutton/chicken/lamb
Mutton 1/2 kg
Onions 4
Ginger garlic paste 1tbsp
Curd 2 cups
Cinammon 2
Cloves 3
Shahi zeera 1/2 tbsp
Japatri little
Lemon 1 big
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Elachi small 1
Pudina 1/2 cup
Green chillies 2 slited
Salt as per taste

For layers:-
Lemon 1/2
Garam masala 1 tsp
Saffron a pinch Milk 1/2 cup Oil 1/2 cup
Coriender 1 cup
Fried onions

Method:-

Step 1
*Chop onions and deep fry onions.Keep half of the onions aside.
*Mix all the above ingredients and half of the onions and marinate for 2-3 hours preferably over night. (I usually soak it at night and next day i prepare biryani)
*Soak safforn in the milk for 2-3 hours.

Step 2*Cook soak rice and add salt.Cook till rice is half cooked.
*Drain all the water in a strainer

Step 3*In a thick bottom vessel spread 2 tbsp of oil.Spread half of the marinated mutton.
*Spread half of the rice.Squeeze 1 tbsp of lemon juice,sprinkle garam masala,2tbsp of oil.
*Then spread rest of the mutton followed by rest of the rice.Squeeze 1 tbsp of lemon juice,rest of the garam masala and 2 tbsp of oil.

*Now spread fried onions over the rice and sprinkle safforn soaked milk.
*Then spread coriender leaves. Step 4
*Cover the vessel with aliminum foil and put it on the stove.

*Firstly put on high flame for 30 sec and reduce to low flame and cook exactly for 30 minutes.
*Once switch off the flame,don't open.Let it stand for another 10-12 minutes.

This is best served with mirchi salan and raita.Mirchi salan recipe is here.

Note: Oil which is used to deep fry onions can be used in the layers.

Vapours should not escape, the foil should be very tight and if possible place a container with water above the foil so that vapours doesn't escape.

enjoy biryani.................................

EDITED to add few new snaps..