Mouthwatering Mutton Biryani Step By Step Recipe My Food Story

on Mar 31, 2021, Updated Aug 10, 2022 Everyone has that one friend who invites you for the yearly Ramzan feast. And you willingly starve yourself all morning just so you can stuff your face with heaps and heaps of mutton biryani… We live to eat! Mutton biryani made in Muslim households has a signature taste which is hard to replicate. The rice is fragrant and aromatic, while the meat is so tender and flavorful. The masala is just enough to tantalise your taste buds, but not overpowering or super spicy either. And when paired with Raita and Mirchi Ka Salan, you’re in food heaven! We did multiple trials of this recipe until we felt we were close to the flavours we wanted! Making biryani from scratch at home can be daunting because of the many technicalities involved. However, a while back we had decided to brave it with our Chicken Biryani recipe. And you guys absolutely LOVED it. You raved about the spot-on flavours, and how easy it all was with the process divided into easy steps.

Steps in Making Mutton Biryani

I’ve broken down the steps involved in making mutton biryani, so that you have all the elements ready before you begin layering away.

Best Rice for Mutton Biryani

There are so many varieties of rice used in biryani and it can be a little confusing. I always insist on using aged basmati rice for a mutton biryani like this one. Look for basmati rice and not ‘long grain rice’ which doesn’t have any aroma. Basmati is fragrant and gives off a deep, rich aroma to the biryani unlike other varieties of rice. In this biryani recipe, the rice is first par-cooked before layering and steaming it with mutton masala to let the flavours come together. Here are the steps to prepare the rice before layering the biryani:

Wash the basmati rice at least thrice to get rid of starch and any impuritiesSoak the rice in water for at least half an hour so that it cooks fasterRice for biryani should always be par-cooked to 70% doneness. The rest of the cooking happens in the pot with layers of mutton and rice so that the rice can take on the aroma and flavours. If you cook the rice fully beforehand the end result will be mushy and over cooked riceMake the rice after making the mutton masala because it should be hot when it’s layered with the mutton masala.

Check out my detailed post on How To Cook Basmati Rice

Best Cut Of Mutton For Biryani

For mutton biryani, I’ve used the shoulder cut. Shoulder meat has some fat, and remains tender through the cooking process. The meat is cut into 1.5-2 inch pieces. It’s important to get bone-in pieces as they remain juicier, and the marrow in the bones is delicious. You can use either goat or lamb meat for this recipe.

Marination

This is a really simple 3 ingredient marinade. It’s made with yoghurt, turmeric powder, and salt. This marinade acts more as a tenderizer of the mutton pieces than as a flavouring agent. Make sure you pat dry the washed mutton pieces before putting them in the marinade! In this case we only marinate it for as long as it takes to cook the masala. So 20-30 minutes is sufficient.

Homemade Mutton Masala

This mutton masala packs tonnes of flavour because it’s got everything from roasted spices to fried onions to oodles of ghee! What I love about this masala is that it’s made with pantry staples, so I can literally make biryani any day I want without stressing out about ingredients.

How To Nail Those Biryani Layers

Layered biryani is typical of most Hyderabadi biryanis. Use a heavy bottomed pan for this so that the bottom and edges don’t burn. Here’s the order in which to make the layers:

Mutton masala (or Mutton Curry)Fried onionsMint and coriander leavesPar cooked and flavoured basmati riceSaffron milk mixtureGhee

Once the biryani is layered in this order, let it cook on low heat for another 20 minutes. This is where all the flavours come together and the rice gets fully cooked. Pro Tip: It’s important to let the biryani ‘rest’ after cooking. Resting the biryani actually elevates the flavour, and gives the mutton and rice time to settle as I like to say! Garnish the biryani with fried onions! Serve hot mutton biryani with:

Indian Raita or Cucumber Mint RaitaMirchi ka Salan

Guys, get ready for some serious food coma after a biryani feast at home! Do leave your questions and comments below!