Mutton / Chicken / Prawn Biryani

Ingredients:

Jeeraga samba or Basmati rice	500 gms (3 cups)
Mutton with bone	300 gms
Onions	2 medium
Sour Tomatoes	2 medium
Green chillies	3 nos
Ginger-garlic paste	½ tsp
Lemon juice	1 tsp
Red chilli powder	1 tsp
Coriander powder	1 tsp
Fennel powder	½ tsp
Garam masala powder	½ tsp
Salt	to taste
Oil	7 tbsp
Ghee	1 tbsp
Coriander leaves (chopped)	1 cup
Mint leaves	few (optional)

Whole Garam masala ingredients:

Bay leaf	2 – 3 nos
Clove	3 nos
Cinnamon	3 half inch pieces
Anistar	3 nos
Kalpasi (black stone flower)	2 – 3 pieces
Cardamom	2 nos
Fennel seeds	¼ tsp

Ingredients for marinating:

Ginger-garlic paste	½ tsp
Turmeric powder	2 pinch
Red chilli powder	½ tsp
Coriander powder	½ tsp
Fennel powder	¼ tsp
Garam masala powder (readymade)	¼ tsp
(Or)
Biriyani masala -	¼ tsp
Salt	½ tsp
Oil	2 tbsp

Ingredients for grinding:

Red chilli (long)	6 nos
Ginger	2 inch piece
Garlic	7 – 8 cloves
Cloves	2 nos
Cinnamon	1 inch stick
Fennel seeds	¼ tsp

For Coconut milk:

Coconut	½  from ½ small coconut
(Or)
Coconut grated	½ cup

Method:

Wash and soak rice for half-hour to one hour.

Preparation of mutton:

1. Clean and wash mutton pieces well. Add all the ingredients mentioned for marinating except oil to the mutton pieces. Coat well and keep aside for 20 minutes.
2. Heat a pressure cooker with 2 tbsp of oil to medium hot. Add marinated mutton pieces and saute in high flame for 2-3 minutes. Then add 1-1/2 cup of water and mix well. Close the lid and pressure cook for 3 whistles. After that keep the flame to the lowest and continue cooking for 10 more minutes. Keep aside.

Grinding:

1. Soak the red chillies in 1/4 cup of warm water (can discard the seeds before soaking. It's optional) for 10-15 minutes.
2. In a mixie jar, place all the ingredients mentioned for grinding along with soaked red chillies. Grind it to a smooth paste using soaked chilli water. Keep aside.
3. Grind coconut into a coarse paste using required water. Pour into a strainer, squeeze and take coconut milk for 2 times (squeeze and take the first milk. Again add 1/2 cup of water to the squeezed coconut residue. Repeat the process to take the second milk. Keep aside both the milk together.

Biryani Preparation:

1. Chop onions into thin slices. Slit the green chillies into length wise (discard the seeds). Cut each tomato into 4-6 big pieces length wise.
2. Remove the cooked mutton from the stock and keep aside. Add coconut milk to the stock and measure to get 6 cups less 1/4 cup (i.e. 5 cups + 3/4 cup. Add water if needed to get the required measurement. Measure with the same cup which is used to measure the rice). Keep aside.
3. Heat a medium size cooker or heavy bottom wide vessel and pour oil and ghee (7tbsp + 1 tbsp). When oil becomes hot, add half the portion of sliced onions. Along with add all the ingredients mentioned as whole garam masalas. Saute till light golden brown.
4. Now add ground red chilli masala paste and fry till oil seperates. Now add remaining half portion of onion slices and green chillies. Fry for 2-3 seconds and then add tomato pieces, ginger-garlic paste and lemon juice. Mix well and add red chilli powder, coriander powder, fennel powder, garam masala powder (or biriyani masala) and salt. Cook till tomatoes becomes soft and dry and oil leaves the sides. (Adjust the flame whenever necessary. Take care not to burn the masalas).
5. Now add cooked mutton, mint leaves and few chopped coriander leaves. Mix gently and keep cooking for 2-3 minutes. Now add measured liquid mix (mutton stock + coconut milk + water). Check salt and add if needed (salt should be little more than normal. When we add the rice, salt will be balanced). Mix gently without breaking the mutton pieces and allow to boil.
6. Side by side place a dosa tawa in another burner and keep the flame to the lowest.
7. Now coming back to the Biriyani making: Drain the soaked rice completely using a colander and add to the boiling water and mix gently. Again allow to boil. Cover with a suitable plate and continue cooking in medium - high flame for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes reduce the flame to the lowest. Open the plate and gently turn over the rice from bottom to top. Again check the salt and if needed add little more. If you prefer little more sourness, you can add 1/2 tsp of lemon juice. Mix gently taking care not to break the rice and pieces.
8. Again cover and continue cooking in low flame for 5 more minutes (or till the rice comes to the top and little moist was left). Now open and sprinkle remaining coriander leaves and flip the rice from bottom to top without breaking the rice.
9.  Now transfer the cooker over the hot tawa with plate covered. Keep like that for 15 minutes and then switch of the flame (flame should be in the lowest). Do not open for 20 minutes.
10. After 20 minutes open the plate (do not allow the vapourised water which was formed under the plate fall into the biryani). Gently flip the rice. Tasty, yummy and flavourful biriyani is ready to serve.

Serve hot with Raita or kurma.

Chicken Biriyani:  Add the marinated chicken directly to the masala ( i.e. add in place of mutton. No need to pressure cook). Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes in low flame. Open the plate and gently mix to avoid masala sticking to the bottom. Cook till oil appears on the sides. Remaining procedure as same as above.

Country Chicken Biriyani: Country Chicken should be pressure cooked for 2 whistles and continue cooking in low flame for 5 more minutes. Remaining procedure as same as above.

Prawn Biryani: Marinate Prawns with little ginger-garlic paste, little turmeric, 1/4 tsp of red chilli powder, 1/4 tsp of coriander powder and little salt. Add to the masala ( in place of mutton) and cook in high flame for 5 minutes or till water dries up and oil appears on the sides. Remaining procedure as same as above.