Mutton Biryani (Kolkata Style)

Kolkata stayle Mutton Biryani is an emotion to bongs. The richness with addition to "Alu and Dim Seddho (Potato & boiled eggs) is just another level of LOVE for us.

Ingredients

(For Biryani spices)

1. Green Cardamom - 5-6
2. Black Cardamom - 2
3. Cinnamon - 1"
4. Cloves - 5-6
5. Nutmeg
6. Mace - 1 floret
7. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
8. Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
9. Black pepper - 1 tsp

(For marinate the Mutton)

1. Mutton - 200 gram
2. Curd - 1 cup
3. Crushes garlic - 1 tsp
4. Grated ginger - 1 tsp
5. Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
6. Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
7. Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
8. Salt - 1 tsp
9. Biryani Masala - 1 tsp (home made with the above ingredients)

(For the rice)

1. Basmati rice - 2 cups
2. Bay leaves - 1 
3. Green cardamom - 5-6
4. Cinnamon 1"
5. Mace - 1 floret
6. Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
7. Salt - 1 tsp
8. Ghee - 1 tsp
9. Water 1 cup

(Other ingredients)

1. Onion - 2 
2. Potato - 2-3 medium
3. Hard boiled eggs - 2-3
4. Saffron strands - 6-8
5. Warm milk - 1/4 cup
6. Rose essence / Rose water - 2-3 drops
7. Ghee - 5-6 tsp

Process

1. Take a frying pan and dry roast all the ingredients (mentioned for biryani spices) and make a dry powder. Your Biryani Masala is ready.

2. In a large bowl beat hung curd, mix all ingredients (except salt and mutton) to make a smooth paste. Add mutton and salt and keep aside for 4-5 hours or at least 1 hr..

3. Wash and clean the rice and soak for 30 mins. Make a pouch of muslin with all the ingredients of rice except rice, salt, ghee and bay leaves and seal. Bring water to boil with bay leaves, salt, ghee and spice-bag in a large pot, add rice and cook until rice is half done.
4. Drain water and spread the rice on a flat surface. Discard the bay leaves and spice-bag.
5. Heat 3 tsp of ghee in a wok and fry thinly sliced onion till golden brown. Add the mutton and continue frying on medium flame. I love to add potatoes and egg here at this point. It will make the potatoes juicier and also gives a flavor to the eggs. Fry them until potato and mutton are almost done. Make sure the mutton is almost 80% done before adding the rice.
6. Soak the saffron strands in warm milk and keep aside for 5 mins. Rub the strands in milk to dissolve them completely. Add rose essence and kewra water and keep aside again for 15 mins.
7. Now take a large pot and arrange the rice, gravy, mutton, potato and eggs in layers separated by ghee and saffron milk only. Use an aluminum foil to cover the pot and cover with a lid at the top. Let it cook for 35-45 minutes on low flame. After that you can check once if the rice and mutton are done. Serve with raita of your choice.