INDIAN MUTTON BIRYANI

Steps:

• First of all, cut potatoes into quarters.
• Apply salt to them.
• Deep fry.
• Pour oil/ghee in a skillet.
• Fry the onions until pink in colour and crisp, remove them and keep aside before adding the cinnamon, cloves and the pastes.
• Add cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaves and green cardamoms.
• Add ginger-garlic pastes.
• Fry for 3 minutes.
• Add in the washed mutton pieces.
• Saute until the mutton gives out its own juices.
• Add the slit green chillies.
• Add turmeric, chilli and cumin powders.
• Mix well.
• Saute for 5 minutes, stirring continuously.
• Mix in fresh yogurt.
• Simmer until the mutton is cooked.
• Add salt.
• Continue to cook until the oil separates from the meat.
• Add finely chopped corriander and mint leaves.
• In a separate pot, parboil rice until the grains are half cooked.
• Strain the rice.
• Spread out the mutton mixture in a heavy bottom pan.
• Sprinkle the rice on top.
• Add fried potatoes.
• Sprinkle saffron milk over this.
• Sprinkle crisp fried onions on top.
• Cover the platter with a tight fitting lid.
• Cook on low flame for 20 minutes.
• Serve with plain chilled yogurt or raita (I'd love to have cucumber raita as it's my favourite) and pappadams.
• ENJOY!