I came across an article once, which was based on the Nizams of Hyderabad. Hyderabad has witnessed a great variety of food thanks to the Nawabs and Nizams, who ruled Hyderabad at different times. The food was inspired from the Mughlai cuisine, but the additions that the Nawabs made to the cuisine made the dishes outstanding. A result of that is the great contribution of Hyderabad to the food world.
As I have mentioned in a lot of other recipe introductions as well, that Hyderabad has contributed more than a 100 variety of Biryanis, each distinct and equally delicious as the other. And, as much as its hard to understand how they are different, you will either have to cook or try the variety. The spices, the other ingredients and the process of cooking changes the complete flavor of a dish.
Kacche Gosht ki Biryani from Delhi is pretty popular too, but the recipe differs a little. This Biryani is made with partially cooked rice being layered on top of marinated meat which is ‘raw’ and is then ‘dumm cooked’ till the meat and rice come out perfectly cooked. But this dish is still considered to be the ultimate measure of a chef’s skill.
In Olden days, Hyderabad had special Khansamas, who cooked this Biryani in the Nizam’s Bawarchikhaana. Later, these Khansamas were called on special occasions to high class families to bring back the taste of authentic Biryani.
I read that the fine art of making kachche gosht ki biryani is almost lost, as it was becoming surpassed by poorer versions. A classic kachche gosht ki biryani requires patience. Its like a love story, that needs what we call zaaiqaa and mohabbat, and there are still plenty of those emotions in the hearts of Biryani lovers like me.
I believe as the years have passed, people seem to be losing their love for really good, slow food, that is cooked with genuine expertise, and with that they are sadly also losing the taste of authentic food.
Most of these chefs who are still cooking authentic food ended up dying penniless. What a shame for us all, because not only did we lose the art of cooking this dish properly, we also lost a genuine knowledge base and mentoring. But, I believe people like me still exist around the world who are accepting the new quick fixes but, also still cling to the genuine recipes and authentic flavors and love to share and pass along.
Since I do not have the complete authentic Biryani recipe, I did make sure I try and follow the steps and make it as close to the authentic recipe as possible.
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 1 hour |
| Passive Time | 10 hours |
| Servings |
people
|
- 1 Kg Meat cut to medium pieces
- 3 TBSP Ginger garlic paste
- 6 TBSP Raw papaya paste
- 2 tsp Salt More or less according to your taste
- 1 No. Cinnamon stick medium size
- 1 tsp Caraway seeds
- 3 No. Star Anise
- 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
- 4 No. Green Cardamoms
- 5 No. Onions sliced
- 1 tsp Red chili powder
- 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 5 No. Green chilies sliced
- 1/2 cup Mint leaves chopped
- 1/2 cup Coriander leaves chopped
- 1 cup Yogurt whisked
- 500 gms Long grain Basmati Rice washed and soaked for 20 minutes
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 4 TBSP Lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp saffron strands
- 3 TBSP Screw pine water kewra
- 1/4 cup milk warm
- 1/4 tsp Orange food color optional
Ingredients
|
Rate this recipe!
|
- Take oil in a pan and fry the onions till they are golden brown. Take them out on a paper towel. Keep 2 TBLSP aside for garnishing later and lightly crush the rest.
- Wash and clean the meat properly and marinate it with raw papaya paste, salt, red chili powder, turmeric powder, crushed fried onions, ginger garlic paste, green cardamoms, cinnamon and caraway seeds.
- Also add in coriander leaves, mint leaves and green chilies. Add the yoghurt in as well and mix well. Keep aside for at least 3 hours. If you can, keep it overnight.
- Meanwhile, start cooking rice in another pan. Take oil and add cardamom powder, star anise and caraway seeds. Once it crackles, add 2 liters of water. Add salt as well and let the water come to a boil.
- Now add the soaked rice and cook till it 50% cooked. It shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes. Drain the rice as soon as you see them boil. Usually, the rice grains come to the surface while boiling. Give it 30 seconds and drain it.
- Now take oil in deep pan. Add the marinated meat in the oil. Since we added raw papaya paste to the marination, it should quiet tender. If you do not have raw papaya, you can substitute it with a meat tenderizer. Spread the partial cooked rice on the yakhni. Sprinkle saffron+milk+kewra on the rice. Add some mint leaves and fried onions on top. I do believe that adding a little color adds that zing to it and makes it look more appealing, but you don't have to, its completely optional.
- Once you assemble the Biryani: Pre heat the oven on 350F. Now cover it with tight fitting lid and seal it with a dough around. Put the pan in a pre heated oven for 1 hour. If using a gas, put a tawa or flat pan on the burner and the biryani pan on top. Heat on high flame for 5 minutes and then on low for another 50 mins.
- You can decorate it with boiled eggs and onions. Serve with dalcha on the side. ENJOY!!!
The dish revolves around six basic techniques: 1. The caramelisation of the onions. 2. The use of garam masala. 3. The marination of the meat. 4. The cooking of the rice until it is ek kan, around 20% cooked. 5. The layering of the rice over the marinated meat. 6. The dumm of the dish.
Hi, how long should you marinate the mutton for when using raw papaya paste without overmarinating the meat? Please advise.
Hey Arpana, 1.5 hours should be good.
Thank you for sharing the tasty biryani recipe…tried it and the result was tasty.
I am glad you liked it. Thank you.
How do you know the mutton is cooked properly. It may require more time than mentioned by you. Can we open and reseal to cook again
Hey Sunil…The mutton will cook well since the recipe also has the use of Raw Papaya. The raw papaya is known to tenderize the meat. If you do not wish to use Raw papaya, you can also use any meat tenderizer. Hope this helps.
How much tenderizer do we use.. Is 1tsp per kg sufficient
I apologize for the late reply. I use Raw papaya as a Meat tenderizer. If you are using store-bought meat tenderizer, you should follow the instruction on the package.