Ingredients

• 1 kg - mutton, cut in pieces
• 1/2 kg - rice
• 1 onion, very thinly sliced and cooked until very brown
• To Flavor the Rice:
• 6 cinnamon sticks
• 6 cloves
• 6 cardamoms
• 3 to 5 bay leaves
• 1 tsp - shahjeera (black cumin seeds)
• 4 tsp - lime juice
• Salt to taste
• To Color the Rice:
• 1 cup milk
• Few saffron strings
• 6-7 drops orange food color
• 1 cup khoya (optional)
• To Flavor the Meat:
• 12 almonds
• 12 cashewnuts
• 2 tsp - charoli or poppy seeds
• 3 tsp - desiccated coconut
• 3 tsp - ginger-garlic paste
• Salt to taste
• For Mutton Curry:
• 1 tsp - garam masala powder
• 1 tsp - red chilli powder
• 2 tsp - coriander powder
• 1 tsp - cumin powder
• 4 large onions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup - yoghurt
• 4 green chillies
• 1 bunch each (about 1 cup) mint/coriander leaves, finely chopped
• 4 boiled eggs
• 2 cups - oil
• 1 cup - ghee

How to Make Hyderabadi Shahi Biryani

• Boil rice with salt, cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamoms, bay leaves and black cumin seeds.
• Drain water when rice is two-third cooked.
• Spread out the rice.
• Add lime juice and keep aside.
• Cut one onion finely and fry in some ghee until golden brown.
• Keep aside for garnishing.
• Mix khoya and orange colour and saffron strings in milk. Keep aside.
• For Mutton Curry:
• Grind to a paste almonds, cashew nuts, charoli and desiccated coconut.
• Add ginger-garlic paste.
• Heat some oil.
• Add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and, when the oil splutters, add sliced onions.
• Fry till golden.
• Add above paste and fry for 2 mins. Add garam masala, red chilli, coriander, cumin and turmeric powders and salt.
• Stir well. Add meat and fry until oil comes out.
• Add yoghurt and pressure cook till meat is tender or cook until tender in a covered casserole for about 3 hours.
• To Assemble:
• Take a heavy-bottomed aluminium cooking pot and spread a little rice at the bottom. Pour a little of the saffron milk mixture over the rice flicking with a fork until some of the rice grains are coloured.
• Add a layer of cooked mutton curry, sprinkle coriander and mint leaves and some fried onions.
• Repeat this process until all the rice and meat is used up.
• It should be 2 to 3 layers.
• On the top most layer pour melted ghee or oil liberally and cover the pot tightly with a lid.
• Secure the edges with foil so that steam does not escape.
• Put it in the oven for 10 mins.
• Garnish with almonds and crisp fried onions.
• Serve with boiled eggs and yoghurt chutney.