Malabar Mutton Biryani

Experience the rich culinary heritage of Thalassery with my Mutton Biryani. This exquisite dish brings together succulent mutton, fragrant jeerakashala rice cooked in the mutton broth, and a symphony of spices that create a burst of flavour in every mouthful. Whether you’re preparing for a festive celebration or a cosy family lunch, this Biryani is a delicious treat.

Serves 4-6
For Ghee Rice
3 cups Jeerakashala Rice
5 ½ – 6 cups liquid (mutton stock+water)
1 small onion sliced
3 cardamom pods
2 cloves
1’’ pc cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp Oil
2 tbsp ghee
Juice of ½ lime
Salt to taste

For Biryani Masala
1 kg Mutton (cut into med-size pcs)
6 Large onions sliced thinly
2-inch pc ginger
1 bulb of garlic
3 large tomatoes
25 green chillies
a handful of mint and coriander leaves
1 tsp garam masala
juice of 1 lime
handful of mixed whole spices (2 cloves, 2 cardamom, piece of cinnamon, 1 bay leaf)
2 Ttbsp oil
salt to taste

For garnish and layering
2 tbsp cashews fried until golden
1 tbsp raisins fried until puffed
2 medium onions thinly sliced fried until brown and crisp
Garam masala to sprinkle in between the layers
lime juice to sprinkle in between the layers
coriander and mint leaves chopped to sprinkle in between the layers

Preparation

Biryani Masala
Wash the mutton pcs well and boil with 3 cups water until almost tender. If you have a pressure cooker, does the job faster (15mins). Drain the mutton pcs and reserve the stock and tidbits of fat in a beaker.
In a wok or a large nonstick skillet with high sides, heat the oil. Add the sliced onion and sauté until caramelized and soft. Adding salt at this stage helps the onions to soften faster. This step takes time so please be patient and keep sautéing so it doesn’t burn. Mince the ginger, garlic and chillies in a processor and toss it into the caramelized onions.

In the same processor chop the tomatoes finely and then add them in. sauté for 2 -3 mins and then add the mutton toss everything together and cook the mutton further to tenderize. Cover the pan and let it simmer for 10 mins.

Finally add the yogurt to make the masala creamy, lime juice for the extra zing and the garam masala and some finely chopped herbs.

For the Rice
In a large nonstick pot, heat oil and the ghee add some whole spices and let it bring out its aroma. Add the sliced onion followed by the rice. Roast the rice for a few minutes tossing it around for the oil to distribute evenly on every grain. This is a very crucial step so don’t skip it. Now add the hot stock and boiling water which should be double the amount as the rice. Add salt to taste, and the juice of lime and cover the pot allowing it to boil rapidly. Keep giving a stir every few minutes. Once all the liquid is absorbed, simmer and let it cook for 5 – 8 mins.

For the layering
Remove most of the cooked rice from the pot leaving a thin even layer of rice at the bottom. Sprinkle a few of the nuts, garam masala and herbs over it and top it with some masala. Next comes the rice layer followed by the nuts, garam masala, herbs, and a tsp of lime juice and then topped with mutton masala. Repeat the process until the top is rice and the garnish ingredients.

Cover the pot and bake in a preheated oven @ 180C for 20-30mins.

Serve the Biriyani with some pickles, poppadams and raita. End it with some sweet lime tea. Time is a key ingredient to biryani so be patient! It’s gonna be great! Have fun cooking!!

Note: The Ratio of masala and rice is not the same in the recipe. The masala will be more. Add the masala just to coat a thin layer along with pieces of mutton over the rice, do not add a lot. The masala can be kept in the freezer for over 2 weeks.