Nawabi Biryani

Ingredients

750 gms Basmati rice washed and drained
1 kg mutton cut into medium sized pieces
5-6 medium onions, sliced finely and fried till crispy
1 tbsp Ginger and Garlic paste
2tsp garam masala
6 Red Chillies
1 cups beaten curd/ yogurt
2 pieces dalchini
6 green elaichi
6 Green Chillies
6tbsp Ghee
1tsp shahijeera
10 red chillies
1 tsp turmeric
2 pinches saffron, dissolved in warm milk
10 jardalu or dry Apricot
Ahandful each of almonds, cashewnuts, chironji, raisins or kishmish
salt to taste

Method

• Take a pan add 2tsp of ghee and fry handful of almonds, cashewnuts, chironji, raisins or kishmish, jardalu(remove the seed) and keep a side.
• Grind fried onions and red chillies into fine paste.
• To the mutton add the beaten curd, ginger and garlic paste, onion and red chilly paste, turmeric, and salt to taste. Set aside for 2 hours.
•  Heat water 2 ½ tablespoons ghee. Add the marinated mutton. Pressure cook this till done. 
• Heat half of the remaining ghee then add the garam masala until it get nice flavour.
• Add the drained rice and fry for 2 minutes, then add warm water(2 times more than the rice) and add salt to taste. Cook till rice is done, then spread on a thali and remove dalchini and elaichi.

 To Assemble:

• Take a heavy bottomed wide deep vessel and line it with ghee.
• Add the marinated mutton and sprinkle garam masala over it.
• Cover with the rice and dot with melted ghee. Make deep holes in the rice, then add the saffronmilk and sprinkle fried nuts and crisp fried onion.
• Cover tightly and seal the vessel with atta paste cook for 20 to 25 minutes.
• Mix and serve hot. Garnish decoratively with chopped pudina.