Hyderabadi mutton biryani is a flavorful rice dish from Hyderabad, India, made with mutton, rice, yogurt, herbs, and aromatic spices. Here's the step-by-step recipe on how to make this Mutton dum biryani easily at home.
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time45 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr15 minutesmins
Course: Main
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 4-5
Calories: 1203kcal
Author: Preeti Nayak
Equipment
1 Pressure Cooker
1 Heavy bottom pan
1 Deep bottom vessel
Ingredients
For marinating the meat
500gmbone-in goat meat (mutton)(from the shoulder or the leg), cut into big pieces
¾cupcurd/yogurt(dahi)
1lemonjuiced
salt
2tablespoonginger garlic paste
¼teaspoonturmeric powder(haldi powder)
1teaspoonred chili powder(lal mirch powder)
¼teaspooncumin powder(jeera powder)
½teaspooncoriander powder(dhaniya powder)
1tablespoonbiryani masala powder
Whole Spices to be used in marinating the mutton
5cloves(laung)
1black cardamom(kali elaichi/ badi elaichi)
2inchcinnamon sticks(dalchini)
1black stone flower (optional)(dagad phool)
1teaspooncaraway seeds(shahi jeera)
2green cardamoms(hari elaichi/choti elaichi)
1star anise(chakra phool)
1teaspoonblack peppercorns(kali mirch)
2small bay leaf(tej patta)
¼Cupcoriander leaves(hari dhaniya),chopped
2tablespoonmint leaves(pudina patta), chopped
4tablespoonghee/clarified butter
To Pressure cook the meat
3green chilies,slit
2tomato(puree the fresh tomatoes in a blender jar and use it.)
Whole Spices to be used while cooking the biryani rice
2small bay leaf(tej patta)
1teaspooncaraway seeds(shahi jeera)
2green cardamoms(hari elaichi/ choti elaichi)
1star anise(chakra phool)
1black cardamom(kali elaichi/badi elaichi)
1inchcinnamon sticks(dalchini)
4cloves(laung)
2teaspoonghee(clarified butter)
salt as per taste
For making fried onions or birista
3onionsmedium size
oil for deep frying
For layering mutton biryani
a pinch of saffron soaked in ¼ cup of warm milk(kesar)
2tablespooncoriander leaves(hari dhaniya)
1tablespoonmint leaves(pudina patta)
2dropskewra essence(mix it in 2 teaspoon water and then add it)
2teaspoonof ghee/clarified butter
To garnish
coriander leaves(hari dhaniya)
mint leaves(pudina patta)
fried onions or birista
Instructions
For marinating the meat
In a large mixing bowl take mutton pieces, curd/yogurt, lemon juice, salt, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, biryani masala powder, whole spices, coriander leaves, mint leaves, ghee/clarified butter. Mix it well and cover it. Keep it marinated for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Better to marinate it overnight.
Pressure cook the mutton
Heat oil in a pressure cooker or any deep bottom pan over high heat. Add sliced onions. Fry it until they are light golden in color. Remove half of the onions and spread it on a plate.
Now add the marinated meat to the rest of the onions in the pressure cooker. Mix it well. Combine and cook it for 2-3 minutes until the marinade comes to a boil.
Add slit green chilies (optional) and tomato puree to it. Add 1 cup of water. Cook it for about 5 minutes or until the oil from the masala starts to separate and floats on the top. Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook for 4 whistles.
Cooking the rice
Meanwhile, we will cook the rice. On another burner, heat a vessel with water in it. Add salt, ghee/clarified butter, and whole spices. Let the water come up to a boil.
When the water comes to a boil, add the drained rice. Cook it till 80% done. We will cook it further while layering the mutton. Remove and keep it aside.
Layering the mutton biryani
After 4 whistles let the pressure of the pressure cooker settle down on its own. After that open the lid and check whether the meat is cooked. If yes, then start layering the mutton biryani and, if not, then pressure cook for 2 more whistles.
For layering the mutton biryani, take a heavy bottom pan or a non-stick pan. Place it over a tawa. Apply some oil on the pan before you start layering. Layer the meat first. Over it layer the rice. Now over it sprinkle fried onions, chopped coriander and mint leaves, saffron milk, kewra essence, biryani masala powder and ghee/clarified butter.
Dum cooking mutton biryani
Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid. Here I have covered it with a plate and over it put some weight on it to ensure that the steam is trapped inside.
Cook the meat on Dum for 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Keep it aside for 5 minutes. Alternatively, you can also use the dough to seal the biryani pot or aluminum foil.
Check at the bottom if the gravy is dried up completely, mutton biryani is ready to serve.
Serve Hyderabadi mutton biryani with Raita and Salad.
Video
Notes
Meat tenderizer - In this recipe, I used tender meat to make this biryani. Also, yogurt is used as a meat tenderizer here. If the meat is not tender then use raw papaya paste. Raw papaya acts as a natural meat tenderizer.
Marinate the mutton overnight. The longer it marinates the better it tastes. Mutton needs to be marinated for at least 6-8 hours. It helps the mutton to become tender and soak all the flavors of the marinade. After marinating the mutton, cover it and keep it in the refrigerator.
If you are using a meat tenderizer then marinate for 2 hours only. No need to marinate longer.
If you do not have all the whole spices mentioned in the ingredient list then add some that are available in your kitchen pantry.
Addition of ghee while cooking the biryani rice is important. It makes the biryani rice soft and moist. Also, it enhances the flavor of biryani.
Cook biryani rice until it is 80% done. Never cook the rice completely. When you press a rice grain between your thumb & index finger it should split. If it gets mashed up then you will not be able to cook biryani on dum. Better not to use this rice for making biryani.
Use a heavy bottom vessel to cook mutton biryani on dum. For dum cooking, you keep the biryani in a sealed pot, for further cooking, over low heat. If the biryani is made in a heavy bottom vessel then there is less chance of it getting burnt from the bottom.
The addition of kewra essence is optional but it enhances the aroma of biryani. Skip if you do not have it.
Use fresh curd/yogurt for making biryani. If using sour curd then do not use lemon juice in the recipe. Curd/yogurt also acts as a natural meat tenderizer. The acid in the yogurt helps to tenderize the meat.
Use homemade biryani masala powder for making aromatic and flavorful biryani at home. Freshly grounded biryani masala enhances the flavor of the dish.