INGREDIENTS
1 kg mutton, whole (chops, marrow, meat cubes), 500 gm Basmati rice, 300 gm onions, finely sliced, 1 tsp garlic paste, 1 tsp ginger paste, 1 tsp red chilli paste, 1 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder, 50 gm fresh coriander, 20 gm mint leaves, 4 nos. green chilli green, 1 gm green cardamon, grounded, 6 nos. cloves, 1 gm mace powder, 4 nos. black cardamom, grounded, 1 gm cinnamon sticks, 1 tsp caraway seeds, grounded, ½ tsp black pepper, grounded, ½ tsp coriander seeds, ½ tsp fennel seed, 1-2 nos. bay leaves, 1 tsp garam masala, 400 gm yoghurt, plain, 100 ml milk, 1 gm saffron, 2 nos. lemon, 140 ml oil, 50 gm ghee, Salt to taste
METHOD
• Wash the mutton and drain well; pat-dry with a kitchen tissue.
• Fry the onions in the oil until golden brown; remove and let them cool down.
• Rub the meat with ginger, garlic, salt, red chilli powder, half the coriander, mint, green chillies, lemon juice, ground cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, caraway, black pepper, onions and oil of frying.
• Marinate for 30 minutes. Soak the saffron strands in the milk and keep aside.
• In a heavy-bottomed pan, add the marinated meat, stir it occasionally and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and braise over medium heat until the meat is half cooked but the liquids become watery thin.
• Simultaneously, wash the rice in cold water until the water remains crystal clear.
• In a vessel, add the rice, whole cardamoms, cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon, lemon juice and salt. Parboil them.
• Drain and layer the rice on top of meat.
• Sprinkle the saffron milk, with ghee and the remainder of coriander, mint and green chilies on top of the rice layer.
• Cover it with an aluminium foil and a tight-fitting/heavy lid. On a low flame, let it cook for 25-30 minutes.
• Serve with raita or simply plain yoghurt.
