Bengali style mutton biryani

Bengali style mutton biryani

There are so many many ways and methods of making biryani all over our country. Every region has its own specialty. 

What is different about this Bengali style mutton biryani, you might ask!! Well it is the use of big chunks of potatoes with the meat.However this is just one variety of biryani that comes from the Bengali kitchen!

Whenever I go to Kolkata I make it a point to got to New Market for..you guessed it..shopping. There is this small shop which sells amazing biryani. Apart from the meat what caught my eye was these big chunks of potatoes.The potatoes are the mutton’s trusty side kick, accompanying it through the whole process. As a result it is infused with the aromatic spices and the mutton flavor. And believe it or not at times you will feel like putting the mutton pieces aside and eating the biryani with the potatoes.

Ingredients

500 gm mutton pieces

3 onions, sliced fine

1 tbsp ginger, chopped

1 tbsp garlic, chopped

2 big potatoes, cubed

2 cups basmati rice

2 tomatoes, chopped

3 green chillies

4 cloves

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp peppercorns

1 tsp cumin seeds

Few cinnamon pieces

½ cup hung curd

1 tsp garam masala

1 tbsp biryani masala

Parboil the rice with salt, water or mutton stock if you have any. I usually don’t throw away my chicken or mutton bones after deboning. I make stock and store it in the freezer. Spread out the rice on a big plate to dry.

Marinate the mutton with the whole spices and curd for about an hour.

Heat some clarified butter and add the cumin seeds, bay leaf, cloves, peppercorn and cinnamon.

 As the seeds begin to crackle add chopped garlic and ginger. Then add the sliced onions. 

Fry till the onions become translucent. Then add the mutton, garam masala and the biryani masala. Saute on high till the mutton browns. 

Cook on high flame for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, sauté for a few minutes and then cover and cook for half an hour. 

The mutton will be almost cooked.

Now layer the rice and mutton in a big pan or even an automatic rice cooker. This saves time and hassle and turns out pretty well. 

Cook for about 10 minutes . Garnish with chopped fresh green coriander and mint leaves.