Andhra Style Mutton Biryani | Gosht ki Biryani

We are one biryani loving family and today I am going to share with you my family favourite Andhra style Mutton Biryani. Coming from the land of hot chili, our biryani is much spicier and more tastier.  Mutton biryani is mostly made and served in Muslim Weddings in Andhra. If you ask me to choose between Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani and Andhra Style Mutton Biryani….it would be toughest choice for me…it is like choosing between two eyes…Mutton Biryani is bit rare in my house and mostly made on occasions like Eid and celebrations.

Unlike Hyderabadi Mutton | Chicken Biryani, our Andhra style Biryani doesn’t carry many spices like shajeera, nutmeg, Bayleaf, maze, etc., only spices used in the recipe are cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. The heat in the recipe is from the spicy green chilies used in the recipe. In Hyderabad biryani is served with mirchi ka salan and in Andhra it is served with mutton dalcha and ambade ki bhaji (sometimes made with mutton bones) in Muslim weddings and in many restaurants too.

I have got many requests to share authentic Andhra style mutton biryani on my blog. So here is it for you all. I request you to read the recipe completely once before you start to prepare this Mutton Biryani. Though the length of the ingredients and preparation is long, it is worth your time and energy. Nothing can beat the taste of homemade biryani. Do try this out today. This recipe is also going to be part of #MFB Challenge 9, where the theme for the month is Meat based recipes. If you are looking out for delicious recipes to make for Eid-ul-Adha, then do check out the linky tool at the bottom of the page. Happy Cooking!

Andhra Style Mutton Biryani | Gosht ki Biryani

INGREDIENTS:

FOR MARINATION:

• ¾ kg. Mutton, (I used shoulder of the lamb on bone cut into 2’ inch piece each)
• 2 tbsp. Red chili powder
• ½ tbsp. Turmeric powder
• 1½ tbsp. Garam Masala
• 2 tbsp. Ginger-Garlic paste
• 3 Green chilies cut length-wise
• ½ tbsp. Coriander powder
• 150 g Curd, beaten
• Salt

TO GRIND:

• 1 medium Onion, sliced
• 2 Green chillies, chopped
• 3 sprigs Coriander leaves

FOR RICE:

• 1 kg. Basmati Rice
• 1 tbsp. Ginger-Garlic paste
• 4 Cardamom, 4 Cloves and 1 2’ inch pieces of Cinnamon
• Salt

TO SOAK:

• ½ tbsp. Saffron
• 3 tbsp. lukewarm Milk

FOR GARNISH:

• 4 tbsp. minced Coriander leaves
• 10 Mint leaves
• 4 tbsp. fresh Lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. Garam Masala
• 2 drops Orange food color mixed in 2 tbsp. water, optional

FOR BIRISTA (Crispy Fried Onion)

• ½ cup Ghee + ¼ cup Oil (I used Sunflower oil)
• 2 big Onions, sliced finely
• 1 green Cardamom, 1 Clove and 1 1’inch piece of Cinnamon
• pinch Salt, optional
• pinch Sugar, optional

How to make Mutton Biryani Step By Step Recipe

PREPARATION:

MAKING BIRISTA:

• Start by making birista first. Add oil and ghee, mentioned under ‘Birista’ to a heavy bottom vessel/kadai/skillet and drop in cardamom, clove and cinnamon. When the spices start to release their flavour in oil, add sliced onions and fry on medium heat by continuously stirring it. Adding salt will fasten up frying of sliced onions and adding sugar will impart nice caramelisation colour to the sliced onions.
• Once the onions start to change color, grab a kitchen plate or tissue and be ready. Once the sliced onions turn nice golden brown, turn off the flame and using a slotted spoon, remove the fried onions. Be careful. Don’t burn the sliced onions. This is our Birista. Collect the oil/ghee in a stainless steel bowl and set aside.

MARINATION:

• Grind the ingredients mentioned under ‘To Grind’ and make a smooth paste. To this add beaten curd, ginger-garlic paste, red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, coriander powder and salt. Mix well and add mutton pieces along with green chillies. Using your fingers, gently rub the marinate over the mutton pieces.
• Add half of the barista (from above) by crushing lightly using your fingers along with 3 tbsp. of hot ghee oil/ghee (which we used for frying onions above). Cover and set aside for 1-2 hours or more depending on time you have. Overnight or 5-6 hours of marination tenders and flavours the mutton pieces.

 

How to Cook Mutton Pieces

IN PRESSURE COOKER:

• To reduce the cooking time, I sometimes use pressure cooker to cook marinated mutton pieces. So if you are doing it in pressure cooker, then empty the contents of the bowl in which we marinated mutton pieces in to a pressure cooker and stir on high flame for 5 minutes.
• Add 1 cup of water and close the lid. Pressure cook for 6-7 whistles or until the mutton pieces turn tender. When the pressure settles, open the lid and when if there is any excess water, on high flame by stirring gently cook till you get thick gravy of mutton pieces. Turn off the flame and set aside.

ON STOVE TOP METHOD:

• If you are doing stove top method, then place the marinated mutton pieces in a skillet and fry on high flame for 5 minutes. When the mutton pieces start to change color, add 1-2 cups of water and cook covered on low flame for 45-50 minutes.
• Stir in between to avoid sticking of the mutton pieces to the bottom of the vessel. Cook till mutton pieces turn tender. Set aside.

How to Cook Rice

• In the meantime wash and soak basmati rice in enough water. In a small bowl soak saffron in lukewarm milk and set aside.
• When the mutton is half done, start cooking rice by adding 4-5 liters of water to a heavy bottom cooking vessel (used for cooking rice) along with salt, ginger-garlic paste 4 cardamoms, 4 cloves, 1 stick cinnamon. Bring this to boil and add soaked basmati rice (by draining water from it). Cook till rice is ¾ ^th done.
• Carefully drain the water using a sieve. Now add start layering.

LAYERING:

• Grease the same vessel which we used for cooking rice with the oil/ghee (which we used for frying onions). Sprinkle 1 tbsp. of fried onions and evenly spread half of above drained rice.
• On top of it evenly spread cooked mutton pieces. Add remaining cooked rice on top of it and spread evenly.
• Sprinkle garam masala, remaining barista (fried onions), lemon juice, food color (mixed in water), saffron milk, fresh coriander and mint leaves.
• Close with a lid and seal with dough or foil. Place the vessel on medium high flame and put a heavy weight on top of the vessel. Reduce the flame and cook on low for another 30-40 minutes.
• Turn off the flame and leave the vessel on stove for another 20 minutes.

How to serve Mutton Biryani

• When you start to serve, remove the weight and carefully take off the lid and foil. Gently using a fork or spoon, fluff the rice and take it into a serving bowl.
• Garnish with coriander and mint leaves. Serve with raita or dalcha or Mirch ka Salan. I served this Andhra Style Mutton Biryani with Onion Raita and Mutton (gosht) Dalcha.

NOTE:

As we have used salt while cooking mutton pieces and while cooking rice, I recommend you to check for salt in between and adjust accordingly.