Hyderabadi Mutton Biryani

Hyderabadi Mutton Biryani

Hyderabadi Mutton Biryani

The undisputed centrepiece of the Hyderabadi table — raw mutton pieces marinated overnight in yoghurt, whole spices, and fried onions layered beneath half-cooked aged basmati in a sealed deg and slow-cooked dum-style on live coal until the meat and rice finish cooking simultaneously, exchanging fragrances in a sealed aromatic cloud. The kacchi (raw-marinated) dum method is the Hyderabadi invention — no other biryani tradition uses this technique at scale.

Cuisines

Hyderabadi

Best for

Lunch Dinner

Build a full meal around Hyderabadi Mutton Biryani

Get a matched combo of sides and accents

Recipe

Prep: 20 min Cook: 40 min Total: 60 min 2-3 servings

Ingredients

Mutton 500 grams Mutton , cut into pieces
basmati rice 2 cups Basmati rice
Yogurt 1 cup Yogurt
ginger-garlic paste 2 tablespoons Ginger-garlic paste
Onion 2 Onion , thinly sliced
Green Chili 2 Green Chili , slit
red chili powder 1 teaspoon Red chili powder
turmeric powder 0.5 teaspoon Turmeric powder
garam masala 1 teaspoon Garam masala
Cilantro 0.5 cup Cilantro , chopped
Mint 0.5 cup Mint , chopped
oil 0.5 cup Oil
ghee 0.5 cup Ghee
Clove 3 Clove
cinnamon stick 2 Cinnamon stick
cardamom 3 Cardamom , green
Bay Leaf 1 Bay Leaf
lemon juice 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
Saffron 1 pinch Saffron , soaked in warm milk
salt Salt , to taste

Instructions

  1. 1 Wash and soak the basmati rice for 30 minutes.
  2. 2 In a large bowl, marinate the mutton with yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, half of the coriander and mint leaves, lemon juice, and salt. Let it sit for at least 1 hour.
  3. 3 Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and fry the onions until golden brown. Remove half of the onions and set aside for garnishing.
  4. 4 In the same pan, add cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms, and bay leaf. Sauté for a minute until fragrant.
  5. 5 Add the marinated mutton to the pan and cook on medium heat until the meat is tender and the oil separates.
  6. 6 Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and the soaked rice. Cook until the rice is 70% cooked, then drain the water.
  7. 7 Layer the cooked mutton at the bottom of a heavy-bottomed pot. Spread the partially cooked rice over the mutton.
  8. 8 Sprinkle the reserved fried onions, remaining coriander and mint leaves, saffron milk, and ghee over the rice.
  9. 9 Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and cook on low heat (dum) for 20-25 minutes.
  10. 10 Turn off the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.
  11. 11 Gently mix the biryani before serving hot.

Tips

For extra flavour, use whole spices in the oil first.