Kolkata Mutton Biryani

Pre-cooking activities

Activity 1: Prepare Biryani Masala 1 (BM1)
- Lightly roast on medium flame the following ingredients till aroma released.
- Coriander Seeds
- Black Pepper
- Cubeba Piper Pepper
- White Pepper
- Black Cardamom
- Green Cardamom
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Mace
- Nutmeg
- Star Anise

Add cumin seeds, caraway seeds and roast for few seconds. [Do not burn the spices]
Allow the ingredients cool down. Transfer the ingredients to chutney container of mixer grinder
- Grind to fine powder of Biryani Masala.

Activity 2: To make Biryani Masala 2 (BM2)
Grind together mace (jayatri) - 5 g and green cardamom - 5 g. Separate the ungrinded cardamom skin, use them somewhere else.
Since, it is very difficult to grind small quantities in a mixer grinder, so grind in the little large quantities. Store the excess in an air - tight container.

Activity 3: Prepare Yogurt
Take 200 g yogurt, leave it in a strainer for 1 - 1.5 hours. Smoothly whip the strained yogurt.

Activity 4: Wash mutton
Wash 1 kg Mutton thoroughly, strain out the water completely. Cut the mutton pieces about 100 g in weight.

Activity 5: Soak Rice
Wash 500 g long grain Biryani special Basmati Rice twice. Soak the rice for 1 hour. Rice should be completely under water.

Marination

Take washed mutton pieces, salt (1.5 tsp), red chili powder (1.5 tsp), ginger paste (2 tbsp), garlic paste (2 tbsp), BM 1 (1/2 tsp), BM 2 (1/2 tsp), gram masala powder (1/2 tsp), black pepper powder (1/4 tsp) and whipped yogurt.
Mix all these ingredients thoroughly.
[do not use papaya paste, it will de-taste mutton badly]
After mixing, cover & keep in marination for 2 hours
(if you want to marinate for longer time, then refrigerate in normal cooling and, bring it out of refrigeration, at least 1 hour before cooking)

Prepare Milk

Masala Milk
Boil & cool 250 ml milk
Add BM1 (1/4 tsp), BM2 (1/4 tsp) and salt (1/2 tsp). Mix well.

Kesar Milk
In a separate cup/bowl, take 2 tbsp hot milk add 1 pinch kesar. Mix well

Make Onion Birista

Cut 200 g onions very finely.
Heat 100 ml oil on high flame.
Once oil is heated, add onion and stir continuously.
Once the onion turns light golden in color, reduce flame and start transfering the onion birista

Fry Potato

In the left over oil after making onion birista, add turmeric/saffron coated potatoes in oil. Fry till potatoes get little soft inside and a delicate golden layer on the outer.
[for quick boiling, sprinkle little water on the fried potatoes and cover the kadai]

Cook Mutton

In the kadai add another 100 ml oil and heat oil. Add whole spice and stir for 1 minute. Then add the remaining onion and fry till onion gets translucent. Then add the marinated mutton and saute for 10 minutes.
Transfer the mutton in a pressure cooker along with all stock/juice. Add water, cover the lid and cook till 14 whistles.

Separate Mutton stock

Once the pressure inside cooker settles down, separate the mutton from the stock.
Keep the mutton separate.
Strain the mutton stock and remove the leftover cooked spices.
Allow the stock to settle down. Scoop off the top layer of liquid fat from the stock and mix it with 2 tbsp of Shree ghee.

Boil Rice

Strain the soaked rice, discard the water.
Take 2 litres water and heat on medium flame. Add 1 tbsp ghee, adequate salt so the water turns little salty (like sea water). Add 2 tsp rose water, 1 tsp kewra water. Make bouque garnie with 4 cloves, 4 green cardamoms, 1 inch cinnamon, 4 piped cubeba and drop it in the water.
Once, the water is quite hot add the strained rice. Boil the rice till 80%

Biryani Layering

Mix 2 tsp of rose water with 2 tsp kewra water. Add 4 drops of Mitha attar to it. Mix the 3 essence.
Coat the inner walls of the patila/pot with ghee. Add milk, juice of 1 lemon, 1/2 tsp BM1, 1/2 tsp BM2, 2 tsp ghee, mix well. Drop 4 pieces of Alu Bokhra.
Add about 300ml mutton stock and mix well. Put the fried potatoes, then put the separated mutton pieces. Add 1/3 of the onion birista, add 1/2 tsp BM1, add 1/2 tsp BM2.
Strain the 80% boiled rice and add half of it on the mutton layer.
[The boiled rice should not kept waiting, it should get 80% cooked after layering till mutton layer complete]
Spread the rice, sprink 1/2 tsp BM1, 1/2 tsp BM2, half of remaining onion birista. Sprinkle half of the masala milk.
Add khowa powder. Add 2 tsp fat+ghee mix.
Add the remaining rice. Sprinkle remaining masala milk. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp BM1, 1/2 tsp BM2. Spread the remaining ghee+fat mix. Sprinkle little kesr mix milk. Add the remaining onion birista.
Cover the lid and make it air-tight.

Dum

Put the Biryani patila/handy on chatu and give high flame dum for 6.5 mins.
Now, place an old chatu between patila and burner and give high flame for another 1.5 minutes.
Reduce the flame to low and give low-flame dum for 25 mins.

Know the secrets of cooking Kolkata Mutton Biryani in this recipe