Easy Mutton Biryani!
Hearty and scrumptious mutton biryani, which is flavorful, delicious, and super easy to make. Mutton biryani is a popular one-pot meal made using long-grain basmati rice layered with spicy mutton, fried onions (fried cashew nuts and fried raisins are optional), and saffron milk. An easy mutton biryani recipe to impress your guests and loved ones!
Biryani is one of the most popular main courses at any party, special occasion, or celebration. Serve along with a spicy salad or refreshing raita (sour milk salad).
The rice is fragrant and aromatic, while the meat is so tender and flavorful. The masala is just enough to tantalise your taste buds, but not overpowering or super spicy either. This mutton biryani will make you wipe off your plate with its incredible taste and beautiful aroma!
The mutton is marinated with curd, chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder, biryani masala, and salt. The marinated mutton is then cooked with whole spices—ginger garlic paste, onions, green chillies, tomatoes, coriander leaves, and mint leaves—until it is tender.
There are many ways in which biryani is prepared, and one will come across different types of biryani. Each and every region has its own version of biryani; each method is unique and has its own significance. There are many ways to make biryani for the majority of South Indians: raw biryani and cooked biryani. In raw biryani, the marinated mutton is layered with rice and then cooked on the stove. Whereas in cooked biryani, the cooked mutton is layered with semi-cooked rice and then cooked in the oven.
You can cook the mutton in a pressure cooker or an instant pot. This will minimize the cooking time as the mutton will cook faster in a pressure cooker.
BEST RICE FOR MUTTON BIRYANI
There are so many varieties of rice used in biryani, depending on the region. But the most commonly used rice for making biryani is basmati rice. I always use aged basmati rice for a biryani like this one. Basmati is fragrant and imparts a deep, rich aroma to the biryani, unlike other varieties of rice. In this biryani recipe, the rice is first par-cooked before layering and then cooked on the stove (slow-cooked) with mutton masala to let the flavours come together.
FEW IMPORTANT PRO TIPS:
■ Use a heavy-bottomed pot or pan with a firm lid so that steam does not escape and stays warm. heavy-bottom pan that does not let your food get burned easily.
■ Always use aged long-grain rice to make biryanis or pulaos. The aged basmati rice gives a nice, fluffy, and fragrant biryani. The rice does not break easily.
■ Mutton Biryani gets a lot of its flavor from the marinade. It is always recommended to marinate the mutton for the best flavor for at least 90 minutes or even a couple of hours. Some even marinate them overnight.
■ Bone-in mutton imparts more flavour and does not tend to dry out like boneless mutton. So try using a shoulder cut or leg.
■ For biryani, cooking the rice perfectly is important. The rice should not be overcooked and needs to be handled gently while cooking so it doesn’t break. Basmati long grain is the best, and this is what I am using.
How do you make the best biryani at home?
■ For any biryani recipe, it is always recommended to marinate the meat in spices and yogurt for at least some time. This helps infuse the flavors perfectly.
■ The rice needs to be washed thoroughly and soaked for 30–60 minutes.
■ Caramelized onions give an extra awesome flavor. So it is recommended to use them.
■ Cook the marinated mutton in whole spices, ginger, garlic, onions, and tomatoes.
■ Steam the rice with some spices, oil, and herbs like coriander and mint.(optional)
■ Layer the mutton and rice and slow-cook for a couple of minutes. This is a very important step in making biryani.
Let’s talk ingredients:
■ Rice: Rice plays a very important role in making biryani. Always use premium-quality basmati rice that is aged. AGED basmati rice is more fragrant, long-grained, and firm, which doesn’t break easily and turns mushy. They stay in shape, provided they are cooked in the correct way.
■ Mutton: Use lamb meat, preferably cut into big pieces (chunks), to make the biryani. If using frozen meat, thaw it well before using.
The best cut of meat for making biryani is from the shoulder or the leg.
■ Fats: I have used both oil and ghee (clarified butter). Traditionally, ghee is also used in making biryani. It imparts a lovely aroma to the biryani. But if you don’t want to use ghee, you can cook it in oil alone.
■ Curd/Yogurt: Mutton is marinated with curd and basic spice powders. Curd is used as a tenderizer here.
■ Whole spices: bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, cloves, green cardamom, and star anise are used in making this mutton biryani.
■ Spice powders: powdered masala powders like turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, and biryani masala are used in the marination of the mutton. You may use these spice powders as per their availability.
Saffron-soaked warm water: Saffron adds a beautiful yellowish hue to the biryani. It also adds an awesome aroma, which makes the biryani so rich and even more delicious. Some people use yellow in place of saffron; however, I highly recommend using saffron.
Other Ingredients: onions, fried onions (caramelized onions), ginger garlic paste, tomatoes, green chilies, coriander leaves, mint leaves, salt, and water.
WHAT CAN BE SUBSTITUTED WITH MUTTON?
Yes, there are a lot of options here. You can follow the same recipe and substitute the mutton with beef, chicken, fish, prawns, etc. Only the cooking time will differ.
HOW TO MAKE MUTTON BIRYANI?
Making mutton biryani at home looks like a difficult task, but trust me, once you try out my recipe, this myth will break. I am sharing the recipe to make biryani in this post. Try it out, and do share your thoughts about the recipe with me here in the comments box below.
As always, I look forward to your feedback. Please be respectful!