Malabar Mutton/Lamb Biryani…A Biryani from Northern Kerala
I had received a request to put up Malabar Biryani recipe from a friend of ours. I have never made any Malabar Biryani nor did I have the recipe. Keeping this in mind, I asked my friend Taha, who belongs to the Malabar region, if he could help me in this regard. He promptly directed me to Safeera H S, who graciously agreed to share her recipe with me.
Safeera is a home maker and a proud mother of two beautiful girls, residing in the United Arab Emirates. During our interactions, I felt that she too shares the passion for cooking. She feels that people from the Malabar region are great cooks and that must be why the Biryani is famous. I made this Biryani following Safeera’s recipe and I was grinning from ear to ear when I saw my boys really enjoying their food. Words are not enough to thank Safeera for the recipe. I intend to trouble my new friend for more such recipes 🙂 Thanks again Safeera… 🙂
Malabar Mutton Biryani
Source: Safeera H S
Malabar Mutton/Lamb Biryani...A Biryani from Northern Kerala
Ingredients
For Mutton/Lamb
- 1 kg Mutton Lamb /
- 3 Onions big thinly sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 13 Green Chillies ground to a fine paste
- 3 tablespoons Ginger Garlic - paste
- 3 Tomatoes big thinly sliced
- 3 Lime juice limes of
- 1/4 cup Coriander leaves
- tablespoons Mint leaves (Optional) few
- 3/4 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
- to taste Salt
- pinches Garam Masala for garnish few
For Rice
- 3 cups Rice/Jeerakashaala rice Biryani
- 3 tablespoons Ghee Butter / Clarified
- 8 Cashewnuts
- 1 tablespoon Raisins
- 1 Onion sliced
- 4 - 1/2 cups water Boiled
- drops Rose water / Gulab jal few
Instructions
- Heat a pan/utensil and add ghee.
- When hot, saute the cashewnuts, raisins and onions separately till they turn golden brown. Drain and keep aside.
- In the remaining ghee, lightly toast the rice.
- Add boiled water and salt. Cover with lid and cook on high flame for 3 minutes.
- Tranfer the pan/utensil onto a griddle and cook for another few minutes. Our aim here is to avoid direct heat.
- Stir the rice lightly with a spoon, cover and cook for another 5 minutes and switch off the heat.
- In another pan, heat oil.
- When the oil is hot, add onion along with 1/4 teaspoon salt and saute for a while. Cover with a lid and cook on low heat.Stir in between to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Once the onions turn pink, add turmeric, chilli paste, ginger-garlic paste, sliced tomatoes and lime juice. Mix well, cover and cook on low heat.
- Once all the ingredients are well blended, add cleaned and washed mutton with salt and stir well. There is no need to add water.
- Cook on low heat with the lid on, till the mutton is 3/4 cooked. Take off the lid and let it cook till there is no moreliquid.
- Add garam masala powder and coriander leaves and take off the heat.
- Layering:
- If you want to have some colour to the biryani, take a bowl of cooked rice and divide into two. Add yellow colour into one part and red colour into the other. Mix well and keep aside.
- Take a utensil and spread a layer of rice topped with some lamb.
- Sprinkle a pinch of garam masala powder.
- Put another layer of rice, followed by mutton. Continue the process and finish off with a top layer of rice.
- Add the coloured rice if using. Sprinkle garam masala powder and rose water. Cover the utensil with a lid and seal the edges with atta (dough made of wheat flour) and keep it atop a griddle and cook on low heat for 30 minutes.
- Those opting for baking, can take a deep dish and layer the rice and mutton as mentioned above. Cover with an aluminium foil and place on a preheated oven of 180 C and bake for 30 minutes.
- Arrange in a dish and garnish with the fried cashewnuts, raisins, onions and chopped leaves.