MUTTON DUM BIRYANI

INGREDIENTS
400 gms Basmati Rice
500 gms Mutton Pieces
¾ cup Fried Onion Crushed
½ cup Fried Onion Whole Plus little extra for GarNICHEing
250 gms Potatoes Chopped
1 cup Curd
150 gms Chopped Tomatoes
2 tblsp G/G/GC Paste
1 tsp  Haldi Powder
2 tsp Chilli Powder
2 tsp Jeera Powder
2 tsp Dhania Powder
¾ cup Whole Spices (See Note)
½ cup Whole Spices for Rice (See Note)
3-4 Bay Leaves
4 tblsp Pure Ghee
1 tblsp Saffron Soaked + 1 tblsp Saffron Soaked Extra for GarNICHE
Oil as per need
Salt to Taste
Fresh Hara Dhania & Phudina
METHOD
Soak rice 2 hours before making this recipe.
To make kachcha Gosh biryani you shall need thick bottom aluminum pot with appropriate lid, big enough for preparing this quantity.
In this vessel wash and add mutton. Add all the dry masala powder, G/G/GC Paste, salt as per taste and mix well.
In a kadhai or frying pan heat 1 cup of oil for tempering. Once the oil smokes add all the whole garam masalas, bay leaves, sauté for few seconds and temper the marinated mutton with the masalas. Mix well. Cover and leave this marination for an hour.
Meanwhile fry potatoes until light golden and keep it aside.
After an hour get back to the marinated mutton and mix in fried onion, curd, tomatoes, potatoes, saffron and mix well. Taste the salt and if needed adjust it according to the taste. Adjust the layer, patting & pushing the gravy evenly. GarNICHE this marination with chopped hara dhania and phudina leaves. Leave it aside.
Take a same size vessel or pot and boil about ¾ of the pot of water. Once the water starts boiling, add garam masala, and strain the soaked rice and put it in the boiling water. Stir slowly with a slotted spoon, so that the rice does not stick to the bottom.
Add a tsp of salt in the rice water, bring to boil. Few minutes after, check the rice, if it’s done up to 70%, strain the rice in a colander. Once the water is drain off completely, layer this on the mutton marination evenly.
Add a cup or two water from the sides of the vessel and above the rice. Drizzle pure ghee over the rice and cover the vessel with a damp kitchen cloth and then with a lid. Put a heavy weight on the lid like brass metal mortar and pestle. This process is call (DUM). Put a tava on high heat and place the biryani vessel on it for cooking for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, simmer the heat completely and let it cook for about 30 minutes.
Near about 30 minutes, you shall observe the steam coming out from the sides of the lid. Uncover the lid feel the aroma of the biryani. GarNICHE some fresh mint leaves, fried onions and drizzle saffron over the rice.

Shake the pot to loosen the rice or with a slotted spoon loosen the rice from the sides of the pot. This will remove the excess steam and the rice will remain flaky and separated. Remove the biryani on a serving plate and GarNICHE with more fried onions and phudina if required. Enjoy!
Tips & Notes:
For Qurbani Mutton, use more time for Dum and add a cup of water more .
For Marination:
2-3 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, 4-5 green cardamom, 1 tsp jeera, 1 tsp Shah Jeera, 2-3 star anise.
For Rice:
4-5 green cardamom, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp jeera.