22 August, 2023

Kolkata Mutton Biryani

Comments : 4 Posted in : Main Course, Mutton on August 22, 2023 by : Fizza Tags: Biryani, Kolkota Biryani, Mutton Biryani, Rice Dish

Kolkata Mutton Biryani has evolved from the Lucknow style .The Kolkata Biryani is unique as it”s mildly spiced ,light and easy on the palate unlike the spicy Hyderabadi Biryani. Along with meat ,the Kolkata Biryani hero is also the potato. Potatoes provide a unique texture to the dish that is different from rice and meat. Kolkata Biryani uses number of spices but is not spicy , it is moist and can be eaten on its own and it contains potatoes.

Biryani as we know is a celebratory and a most popular dish in India. It is made with Indian spices rice any type of meat (goat chicken lamb fish prawn)egg or vegetables. There are many types of biryani, whose names are often based on their region of origin. For example Sindhi Biryani developed in Sindh, Hyderabadi biryani developed in Hyderabad, Delhi biryani, Kolkata Biryani.


Preparation Time : 40 min
Cooking Time : 90 min
Marination Time : 2 hour
Total Time : 4 hr 20 min
Serves : 3 to 4

Ingredients

• 3 whole potatoes
• 100 gm Onions sliced and deep fried for birasta
• Oil for deep frying onions and potatoes
  
  
  
  

For Mutton Marination

• 500 kg mutton
• 50gm yogurt
• 5gm ginger
• 5gm garlic
• 10 gm birasta
• 5 gm Kolkata Biryani Masala
• 2.5 gm kewra water
• ½ tsp red chilli powder
• ½ tsp pepper powder
• 75ml water
• Salt to taste

For the rice

250 gm Basmati Rice (long grained)

• 3 green cardamom
• 1 black cardamom
• 4 cloves
• 3 cm ( ½ gm) cinnamon
• 3 gm fennel seeds
• 1gm bay leaves
• 2 liter water
• Salt to taste.

For the Assembly

• 5 to 10 bay leaves to line the pan
• ½ tsp rose petals (optional)
• birasta
• 3 gm Kolkota Biryani Masala
• 25 gm grated khoya or mawa
• 150 ml mutton stock
• Juice from half lime
• 1 pinch saffron (soaked in 1tbsp hot milk)
• 100ml milk
• 2.5 ml kewra water
• 2.5 ml rose water
• 2 drops meetha attar
• 1tbsp ghee
• 1tbsp butter
• 20 gm Dried prunes

Method

Frying Potatoes

1 . Peel potatoes and smear yellow food colour .Keep the potatoes whole.

2. Heat oil in a deep pan. Fry the potatoes until they are light brown from all sides.(about 4min.
3. Drain and keep aside.

Frying Onions – Making Birasta

1. In the same oil ,add sliced little at a time to make birasta.
2. Divide birasta in 2 parts and keep aside.

Marinating Mutton

• 1.Peel ginger and garlic, chop and crush into a fine paste.

• 2.In a large bowl , mix yogurt ,ginger garlic paste ,birasta , kewra water , biryani masala ,red chilli powder, salt and pepper powder.

• 3.Add the mutton pieces and coat them well with the marinade.

• 4.Cover and set aside overnight or atleast 2 hours.

Preparing Rice

• 1. Wash the rice and soak it for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes ,strain the rice over a colander and and set aside.

Cooking Mutton

• 1. Add marinated mutton to a pressure cooker , followed by potato on top.
• 2. Add 100ml water and pressure cook on low heat for 20 to 30 minutes depending on how much time mutton takes to cook in your area.
• 3. Let the cooker cool then open it.
• 4. Separate the potatoes and mutton pieces.
• 5. Strain the liquid remaining in the pressure cooker.
• 6. This is the mutton stock .
• 7. Only 150 ml is required. Measure and keep ready.

Rice Preparation

• 1. Place the whole spices mentioned in the rice section in a small square of cheesecloth. Tie them with a thread.

• 2. In a large pot take 3 liters of water. Add salt to taste.
• 3. Add the bag of spices to the water and allow it to come to boil.

Assembly

• 1. Meanwhile weigh and prepare for the assembly.
• 2. Keep everything ready.
• 3. Bay Leaves
• 4. Cooked mutton pieces
• 5. Cooked potatoes
• 6. Birasta
• 7. Rose petals if using
• 8. Biryani Masala
• 9. Grated khoya
• 10. Mutton stock
• 11. Lime juice
• 12. Saffron and yellow food colour mixed 20 gm warm milk
• 13. Rose water kewra water and meetha attar in 100g warm milk
• 14. Ghee and butter melted together
• 15. Cooking rice and layering the biryani.

• 16.Take a thick deep bottom pot. Grease with ghee and keep it on low heat.
• 17.Cover the bottom of the pan with bay leaves. It will give good aroma and prevent it from burning.

• 18. Place the mutton pieces in a single layer, then the potatoes on top of mutton.

• 19. Spread dried prunes , birasta and rose petals evenly.
• 20. Take half of the biryani masala and khoya ,spread evenly.
• 21. Now add yakhni and lime juice.
• 22. Now the rice water should have started boiling and it’s colour changed. Extract the bag of spices and discard it.
• 23. Add the rice and let it cook until 80% done.( when the centre is no longer hard, but the grain is still firm.

• 24. Strain the rice in a ladle at a time and spread it directly in the pan. Repeat this until half the rice is added to the pan.

• 25. On top of this layer of rice, spread the remaining biryani masala and khoya.
• 26. Also spread saffron and colour mixture evenly.
• 27. Now strain the rest of the rice and add it to the pan. Flatten it gently.

• 28. On top of the second layer of rice, add milk mixed with rose and kewra water and meetha attar ,melted ghee and butter, make sure to drizzle it near the sides of the pan too.

• 29. Cover the pan with thick aluminium foil, if you are having a thin one use double, seal the sides well so that no steam escapes. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid. If you don’t want to use foil ,you can use dough to seal it.
• 30. Give dum on medium low heat for 30 min. Of the flame ,allow it to rest for 15 minutes before serving.