Durban Mutton Biryani

CREDITS

Pic credit: Ruhana Ebrahim
Rec credit: @mama_taught_me_wel

INGREDIENTS

ghee (Clarified butter) and butter. Boil 4 cups rice (with 1 teaspoon rough salt),Boil 2 ½ cups Masoor (Back lentils) (with 1 teaspoon rough salt + ¼ teaspoon arad (Turmeric).)6 Boiled eggs.Fry 4 onions (leave handful aside).Fry 4 potatoes (cut in halves, toss with few dots liquid yellow food colouring to give golden colour).Cut 2 potatoes (flat slices -keep unfried).2 kg big mutton curry pieces.
Mixture:500ml box sourmilk,3 tomatoes (liquidized),Handful fresh green dhania (coriander) (chopped),Handful fresh mint (chopped),Crushed reserved fried onions (from above),3 pcs Taj (cinnamon sticks), 3 elachie (cardamom) pods, 5 lavang (cloves),5 bay leaves,2 star anise,2 teaspoon Jeeru (Cumin) seeds,good pinch saffron strands ,few drops saffron essence (optional),2 teaspoon coarse salt, 2 teaspoon chilli powder, 1 teaspoon dried rough red chillies,2 large serving spoons red ginger garlic masala, 1 tablespoon ground green chillies,2 teaspoon dhana jeeroo (coriander cumin) powder¼ cup Lemon juice,2 tablespoon white vinegar,4 Whole green chillies (cut longwards).

METHOD

1. Add mutton into above mixture. 2. In a deep pot, pour some ghee (Clarified butter), and set unfried potato slices at bottom. 3. Take a handful or rice and sprinkle ontop of slices.4. Place marinated pieces of mutton down, leaving sourmilk mix aside.5. Mix in Masoor (Back lentils) in sourmilk mix. 6. Place fried potato halves ontop of mutton, then pour ontop Masoor (Back lentils).7. Place ontop boiled rice and push in boiled eggs in rice. 8. In a pan, mix saffron, with few drops saffron essence and little water. Heat through. 9. Cut up cubes of butter and place ontop of rice. 10. Sprinkle handful of crushed onions ontop. 11. Pour saffron water over top of rice. Cover with foil sealing well.12. Cook in oven on moderate heat, for 2 hrs (OR MORE) as required. 13. Open the foil & check if all liquid has cooked through. If it hasn't return to oven covered, checking again later. When the Biryani is almost done, it will become quite fragrant.14. After checking and the liquid has completely reduced, cover again with foil, place on pot lid and then place in Wonderbag rice cushions and tie up tight. This will ensure that the mutton cooks through and the rice steams & fluffs up.15. Serve with dhai and papar.
Note: If you do not have the rice cushions, once the liquid has reduced, switch off the oven & place the pot in oven covered with foil for a few more minutes to allow the steam within the pot to fluff up the Basmati rice. Then serve.

INFO & TIPS

(Serves 6-8)

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