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Authentic Dum Mutton Biryani

Tanvi Srivastava
Mutton biryani is a dum cooked, aromatic rice dish made with layers of tender mutton (goat meat), fragrant basmati rice, deep fried onions and aromatic indian spices.
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 8 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 11 hours
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

For Homemade Fried Onions (Substitute with ¾ cup store bought fried onions)

  • 400 g sliced onions
  • 2 cup oil for deep frying the onions

For Marinating Mutton

  • 2 lb(~1kg) mutton or goat meat or lamb, cut in 1.5 to 2 inch pieces
  • ⅔ cup plain yogurt not too sour or watery, I use full fat greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon ginger paste store bought or pound fresh ginger in mortar pestle
  • 1.5 tablespoon garlic paste store bought or pound fresh garlic in mortar pestle
  • 1 tablespoon coriander powder
  • 1.5 teaspoon cumin powder
  • ¾ tablespoon red chilli powder (medium hot), I use degi mirch powder, adjust to taste
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 2.5 teaspoon biryani masala adjust quantity depending on potency & heat levels of your biryani masala brand, I use homemade biryani masala
  • 1.5 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1.5 - 2 teaspoon salt adjust to taste

For making mutton masala

  • 3 tablespoon oil I use onion flavored oil left from making homemade fried onion
  • 1 large bay leaf
  • ½ inch cinnamon stick
  • 4 cloves
  • 2 black cardamom
  • 2-3 mace twigs
  • 8 black peppercorns

For Biryani Rice

  • 700 g (~3.5 cup) sela basmati rice or long grain basmati rice
  • ½ tablespoon lemon juice
  • 4-5 green cardamom
  • 4 cloves
  • 1 teaspoon oil
  • 2 tablespoon salt
  • 10 cup water

For layering biryani

  • ¾ cup fried onions
  • 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon ginger julinnes
  • 1 teaspoon kewra water
  • 2 tablespoon ghee melted

Instructions
 

Make the fried onions (Skip these steps if using store bought fried onions)

  • Warm up oil in a wide cooking pot (wok shaped is great) on medium high heat.
  • Add the sliced onions to the hot oil. Reduce to medium flame. Now, let onions fry for next 10-14 minutes. You will need to stir them intermittently, avoid stirring again and again.
  • Once the onions are golden brown in color, using a slotted spoon, pick and place on a paper towel.
  • Let fried onions sit and cool down completely. Remove the paper towel and reserve a about ¾ cup fried onions to be used for layering the biryani.

MARINATE THE MUTTON

  • Place goat or mutton pieces in a large bowl. Add coriander powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, salt, yogurt, ginger and garlic paste, remaining deep fried onions and lemon juice. Add 1 tablespoon of oil(leftover from making fried onions).
  • Use your hands (best tools!) to coat the mutton very well in the marinade ingredients. Wear food safe gloves, else your hands will smell of spices and may get dyed with color from spices.
  • Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator to marinate. Overnight is preferable but 4-6 hours works too.

SLOW COOK MUTTON MASALA

  • Pull the marinated mutton out of the refrigerator 1-2 hours prior to cooking.
  • Heat up oil in a large dutch oven (5qt or larger) on a low flame. Once hot, add all the whole spices (black cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaf, mace, black peppercorn, cloves). Fry the spices for a few seconds taking care not to burn them.
  • Add the marinated meat. Sprinkle biryani masala over the meat and mix very well.
  • For initial 8-10 minutes you will have to stir around the meat regularly else the yogurt will curdle. Slowly the yogurt and meat starts to relase moisture. 2 lb of meat releases quite a bit of water while cooking and you should not need to add extra water. Once you notice enough water in the pot, cover the lid.
  • Let the meat cook on low medium heat for next 1-1.5 hours (or as needed) until the meat is tender. Take care that the meat should not fall apart from the bones, it should be fork tender at this stage. While the mutton is cooking, check a few times and make sure that there is enough liquid in the pot, else add a splash of water. We want to make a thickish mutton masala. The gravy should not be soupy else the biryani will become wet.
    Tip - I use up this time to prepare the different ingredients needed while layering biryani, for soaking the basmati rice etc.
  • Using Pressure Cooker to Cook Mutton Masala - Follow the same instructions for cooking the mutton in a pressure cooker. Before sealing the lid, add ? to ½ cup water (adjust depending on how much moisture your meat releases). Cook for 18-20 minutes on medium pressure or about 7-8 whistles. Please adjust the time as needed. Once you release the pressure naturally and check the meat, it should be fork tender, not fall apart.

PAR BOIL THE BIRYANI RICE

  • Rinse the sela basmati rice 3-4 times under running water or until the water runs clear. Cover the rice in excess water and let it soak for 1 hour. If you are using long grain basmati rice, soak for not more that 20-25 minutes.
  • On the stove, place a large pot capable of holding 10 cups of water. Add salt, ghee, lemon juice, and whole spices to the water. Bring the water to a rolling boil over high heat.
  • Carefully, add the drained and soaked sela basmati rice to the hot water. Stir gently using a rubber spatula 2-3 times to prevent the rice from sticking at the bottom.
  • Allow the rice to par boil over medium high heat until it reaches 90% doneness. Minimize stirring to avoid rice grains from breaking.
  • To Check Doneness of Rice - First method is to take a few rice grains and press them between your thumb and index finger; the rice should be soft yet slightly firm. The second method is visual inspection. You will notice that the rice grains will begin to float to the surface of pot as they near cooking. For 3.5 cups of rice, it takes approximately 5 to 6 minutes for rice to cook.
  • Drain the par boiled rice fully using a colander and then immediately start layering the biryani.

LAYER THE BIRYANI

  • Choose a large and wide enough pot that can hold the cooked rice and mutton.  If you want to dum cook the biryani in oven like me, either use a dutch oven or any oven safe dish large enough to hold all the biryani layers.
  • Smear 1 tablespoon melted ghee or cooking oil on the bottom of cooking pot to avoid rice from sticking.
  • Layer half of parboiled rice. Follow with the cooked mutton masala.
  • Top the mutton with fried onions, chopped cilantro & ginger julinnes.
  • Then, cover the mutton entirely with the remaining basmati rice.
  • Top with fried onions, chopped cilantro & ginger julinnes.Drizzle the melted ghee and kewda water. You could add saffron soaked in milk. I don't use saffron. Sprinkle food color on top if you wish (use food grade powdered color). I don't use color.
    Note - You could add fresh mint leaves, shahi jeera and green chillies while layering if you wish. Make it as fancy as you like as far as toppings go! 

DUM COOK MUTTON BIRYANI (Use any one of the below methods)

  • Dum cooking in Oven - Place the biryani pot covered with a tight-fitting lid in a 200F preheated oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes
  • On The Stove - Alternatively, on the stove, heat up cast-iron griddle or tawa until hot. Place the covered cooking pot over it and reduce the flame to lowest. Let the biryani dum cook for the same duration. This indirect heat source maintains low enough temperatures to let the different flavors of different layers of biryani meld together.
  • Once dum cooking process (final steam) is over, refrain from immediately opening the lid of the cooking pot. Allow the biryani to rest for 15-20 minutes to let the flavors settle.
  • Gently open the pot's lid and using a saucer plate, a soft spatula, or a rice spoon, delicately fluff and mix the biryani from the side of the pot. Serve with raita or a fresh salad.

Notes

Recipe Tips
    • Saffron - If you want to use saffron, soak 10-12 saffron strands in warm milk and add to the top most layer while layering. I use only kewra for aroma. 
    • Using Food Color - Sprinkle food grade colors (powdered) like yellow or orange at a few place on the top layer. 
    • Quality of Meat - Use fresh meat and go for the cuts I have metioned for a tender and succulent meat pieces. If you are using frozen meat, thaw it properly before marinating it.
    • Cooking Pot - You could use a heavy bottom cooking pot for making the mutton masala. For layering the biryani, use a wide and tall pot. Dutch ovens work great for layering, braisers do not. We want thickish layers of rice and meat.
    • Season at every stage - The salt levels can change the entire chemistry of flavor and taste of biryani. Keep tasting while you cook. The mutton maslaa has to be nicely salty and intensely spiced at the end of cooking. We are layering it with boiled rice and once you mix the biryani, the rice will take on the flavors from the mutton masala. Secondly make sure to salt the water in which you are boiling the rice well.
    • Don't Skimp on Oil or Ghee - Biryani is a rich dish heavy on oil and ghee. The fats keep the rice fluffly while steaming as well as contribute to the overall satisfaction of the dish. If you skimp on oil, your rice will taste like steamed rice.
    • Give It Time - Biryani making invloves a few key steps but nothing is overly complicated. If you give time and patience to your mutton biryani, it will turn out exceptionally delicious.
    • Whole Spices - We indians are used to eating biryani, pulao or curries around the whole spices. If the whole spices bother you, you can tie them in a muslin cloth both for mutton masala and while boiling the rice. Remove the muslin cloth beofre layering the biryani.
 
Storage & Reheating
Mutton biryani tastes 10 times better next day. I highly recommend making it a few hours ahead if you are serving on same day. Or plan leftovers. Store leftover biryani in an airtight container for 3-4 days, refrigerated.
To reheat, add the biryani to a non stick pan or pot(preferable), add a splash of water and cover. Let steam for 5-7 minutes or as needed. You could reheat in microwave as well. Be gentle with power level of microwave so that the meat stays soft and succulent.
Serving Suggestions 
    • Mutton biryani is best served with a yogurt side dish (raita), green chutney, and a fresh salad like kachumber. Pickled onions also taste very good.
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