Mutton Dum Biryani / Lamb Dum Biryani

Serves: 4

For the Rice:

Ingredients

4 black cardamom

3 cinnamon sticks

6 cloves

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon salt

5 cups water

2 teaspoon ghee

2 teaspoon lemon juice

2 cups brown basmati rice (Indian standard measuring cup of 200 ml / 8 oz capacity)

Method

Brown basmati rice

Wash and clean rice and soak it in  3 cups water 20 minutes. Drain rice.

Boil 5 cups of water in Rice cooker. Add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay leaves and salt. When water starts boiling vigorously, add drained rice, lemon juice and ghee. Cook till done (Or cook rice normally  with above ingredients and drain out water. Please do not overcook rice).

For the fried onions, raisins and cashew nuts:

Ingredients

2 tablespoon ghee

1 onion, finely sliced (1 big size or 2 small size)

2 tablespoons cashew nut (splits) or 8 nos

2 tablespoons raisins 12 nos

Method

In a frying pan / karahi, heat ghee on a medium heat. Add finely sliced onions and fry till golden color and crisp on a medium to low heat. Carefully remove from ghee and keep in a separate container.

Add cashew nut splits and fry until golden color on a medium to low heat. Remove and keep aside.

Add raisins and fry until golden color on a medium to low heat. Remove and store it an air tight container.

For the  Lamb Masala / Mutton Masala:

Ingredients

500 g lamb , cut into medium pieces (or biryani pieces)

½ teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon red chilli powder

2 tablespoon thick curd / yogurt

Method

Wash and clean lamb pieces. Drain out water thoroughly. In a wide bowl, marinate lamb   pieces with turmeric powder, red chilli powder, thick curd   and salt. Cover and keep aside for half an hour.

Other Ingredients

2 tablespoon oil

4 onions, thinly sliced

2 tablespoon  ginger – garlic paste

3 well ripe tomatoes, chopped

1 teaspoon red chilli powder

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 ½  teaspoon coriander powder

Marinated lamb pieces 

¾ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1/4 teaspoon clove powder

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder

1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder

1  1/2 cup / 300 ml water

8 tablespoon  chopped coriander leaves (malli), wash and clean coriander leaves and chop finely (reserve 1 tablespoon)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Method

Dilute red chilli powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder in 2 tablespoon water (spice mix).

Heat oil in a pan or karahi on a medium heat. Add sliced onion and fry till golden color.

Add ginger – garlic paste and fry for 1 – 2 minutes until raw smell disappears.

Add chopped tomatoes and fry for  5 – 7 minutes until well combined and thickens.

Add diluted spice mix and stir well on a low heat for 1 – 2 minutes until the water dries up and well combined with other ingredients.

Add marinated lamb pieces and fry for 8 minutes.

Add salt to taste, cardamom powder, cinnamon powder, clove powder, nut meg powder and 1 1/2  cup water (up to the level of lamb pieces). Mix all the ingredients well. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves . Cover with a lid and cook on a medium heat for 45  minutes to 1 hour minutes until lamb well cooked. 

Finally reserved 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves and lemon juice. Mix well.

Final dum preparation:

Maida dough for sealing (depends upon the size of the vessel)

2 tablespoon chopped mint and coriander leaves

Shallow fried onions, cashew nut splits and raisins

Extra 1 tablespoon ghee

Wet towel 

Method

In a heavy - bottomed vessel or biryani pot, spread a layer of chicken masala (including gravy) and half portion of cooked rice. 

Make 2 layers with cooked rice and lamb masala. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon ghee, chopped mint and coriander leaves, shallow fried onions,  raisins and cashew nuts.Gently put a wet towel over it.

Cover with a tight lid. Seal with maida dough on the edges of the lid. Heat a heavy - bottomed wide iron kadai. Keep biryani pot over it. Cook on a medium to low  heat for 35 - 40 minutes. One can find a color change on the maida seal. Open the seal carefully. Mix well. Decorate with chopped coriander and mint leaves and shallow fried onions.  Serve hot with Raita and pickle / pappadam / boiled egg.

For the raita:

Ingredients

1 onion, finely chopped (1 big or 2 small size)

1 tomato, finely chopped

1 cup (200 ml) thick curd / yogurt

1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1 teaspoon chopped coriander leaves

Method

Wash vegetables  well. Chop finely.

In a bowl, mix chopped onions, tomato and thick curd. Add salt to taste. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves. Serve with Biryani.

One Pot Chicken Biryani (New recipe)

One Pot Chicken Rice / Biryani  (made of Jeerakasala rice) - A delicious and less spicy chicken rice !!!

Tip – Please use same measuring cup to measure rice and water.

Featured here is a One Pot Chicken Rice /  Biryani made out of Jeerakasala rice / Zeera samba rice.  Jeerakasala rice is a popular variety of aromatic rice used in Tamilnadu and Kerala. As the name suggests the grains are smaller in size like jeera ( cumin seeds ). It is very tasty and fragrant when cooked (better than basmati rice). Available at whole sale rice merchants in India (Nilgiris, More, Reliance fresh,  Spencer's daily ..) and other  leading supermarkets.

Serves: 4 - 5

For the  chicken:

900 g chicken pieces, cut into medium size pieces

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon red chilli powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon thick yogurt / curd

Wash and clean chicken pieces. Drain out water thoroughly. In a wide bowl, marinate chicken pieces evenly with turmeric powder, red chilli powder, yogurt / curd and salt. Cover and keep aside for half an hour.

Other ingredients

1 tablespoon oil / ghee

3 cloves (optional)

3 cardamom

1 small bay leaf

1 stick cinnamon

3 onion, finely sliced

1 tablespoon thick  ginger – garlic paste

3 green chilles, crush roughly

3/4 teaspoon red chilli powder (or 1 teaspoon for more spicy rice)

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

1  teaspoon coriander powder

1 tomato, finely chopped (1 big size or 2 small size)

4 tablespoon finely chopped mint and coriander leaves (do not add thick stem)

Marinated chicken pieces

Extra 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder (or make a mix of 1/4 teaspoon clove powder, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder. 1/4 teaspoon nut meg powder and 2 pinches of cardamom powder)

3 cups water (600 ml -  Indian standard measuring cup of 200 ml capacity) – to make chicken gravy

Extra 2 cups water (for the final stage)

2 cups (Indian standard measuring cup of 200 ml / 8 oz capacity)   jeerakasala (Zeera zamba) rice (3 cups water required for 2 cups jeera rice or 1: 1 1/2  (1 cup rice: 1 1/2 cup water)

2 teaspoon lime juice (do not miss this ingredient)

1 tablespoon ghee (do not miss this ingredient)

Raita / pickle for serving

Method

Dilute red chilli powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder in  2 tablespoons  of water and keep aside (spice mix).

Heat oil in a pan or karahi  (big size karahi)  on medium heat. Add whole spices (cloves, cardamom, bay leaf and cinnamon) and fry on a low heat till fragrant.

Add sliced onions and fry till golden color.

Add ginger – garlic paste and stir well for 2 – 3 minutes until the raw smell goes.

Add crushes green chillies and fry for 2 - 3 minutes.

Add diluted spice powder and mix well for 2 minutes until the water dries up.

Add chopped tomato and fry well for 2 – 3 minutes until well blended.

Add chopped mint and coriander leaves, marinated chicken pieces, garam masala powder (or homemade spice mix), 3 cups water and adjust salt to taste (or 1 teaspoon). Mix all the ingredients well. Cover with a tight lid and cook on a medium to low heat for 25 minutes until 3/4^th done 

Once you add the marinated chicken, note down the timing.

At this stage (after 25 minutes) open the lid and check the quantity of the gravy (remove chicken pieces into another bowl and strain gravy through a clean iron  sieve (please do not use plastic sieve. Gravy is very hot). It may be 1  - 1 1/2 cup. Transfer all the ingredients back to karahi (chicken pieces and gravy). Now add 2 cups of  drained jeerakasala  rice and 2  cups of  water (1 ½ cup water required for 1 cup jeerakasala  rice. Here we're adding 2 cups of  water + 1 cup  gravy from the chicken curry = Total   3 cups liquid (water + gravy. If the gravy is 1 1/2 cup, add 1 1/2 cup water).

Adjust salt if required. Add lime juice and ghee. Cover again and cook on a medium to low heat for another 15 – 20 minutes or until done / rice cooked well and water dries up. Serve with raita / pickle / pappadam/ dates pickle /  korma.. Decorate with fried cashew nuts / raisins (optional).