MUTTON BIRYANI Ingredients A cinnamon stick Half a cup fresh cream Four red chillies Two teaspoons of cumin A tablespoon of garlic paste Half a cup raisins 1/4 cup milk Two cup basmati rice Two pinches saffron Two green cardamoms Half a cup ghee A bay leaf A tablespoon ginger paste Half a cup cashews A teaspoon of garam masala powder A kilogramme of mutton A teaspoon of cumin powder Salt as required A teaspoon of coriander powder A teaspoon of red chilli powder A cup of yoghurt Half a cup of mustard oil A teaspoon of turmeric 1/4 teaspoon powdered star anise A cup of thinly sliced onion A teaspoon of chopped mint leaves A teaspoon of chopped coriander leaves A teaspoon of kasoori methi powder Directions Mutton biryani is a classic one pot meal that can easily be made if you know the right proportion of rice, meat and spices. To make this quick mutton biryani recipe, first clean and wash mutton under running water. Pat dry with a kitchen towel and keep aside. Now add all the marination ingredients in it. Rub well with your fingers so that the marination spreads evenly. Ideally you should leave this meat in the refrigerator overnight. If you have sudden guests coming then, use a fork to bore holes in the mutton, marinate and keep aside for one to two hours. Meanwhile par boil the rice and keep aside, spread on a plate. If you overcook your rice, it will turn pasty when mixed with the mutton. Dissolve the saffron in 1/4 cup milk. Heat some ghee in a pan and fry the cashews and the raisins. Thinly slice the onions and fry them in the same ghee. Reserve half of the onions and keep aside. Remove the mutton from the refrigerator and allow it to come down to room temperature. This step is important for the proper cooking of the meat. Heat ghee in a deep bottomed vessel. It should have a tight fitting lid. Once the ghee is sufficiently hot, add the whole spices-cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamoms, cumin. Allow them to splutter. Add whole red chillies and the marinated mutton. Add the onions, ginger and garlic paste and cook covered till the mutton is tender. Now add garam masala and roast the mutton till the entire water is absorbed and oil separates from it. Remove the mutton from the pan. In the same pan add a layer of cooked rice, followed by a layer of mutton and then again a layer of rice. Between each layer, sprinkle some dry fruits. The topmost layer should that be of rice. Now add the kesar dissolved milk and cream. Pour this evenly over the rice. Cover the lid and cook on low flame for 10-12 minutes. Remove from fire and garnish with onions, mint, kasoori methi, coriander and serve hot with raita. CHICKEN BIRYANI Ingredients Four tablespoons of vegetable oil Four small potatoes, peeled and halved Two large onions, finely chopped Two cloves garlic, minced One tablespoon minced fresh ginger root Half teaspoon chilli powder Half teaspoon ground black pepper Half teaspoon ground turmeric One teaspoon ground cumin One teaspoon salt Two medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped Two tablespoons plain yogurt Two tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves Half a teaspoon ground cardamom One piece cinnamon stick Three pounds boneless, skinless chicken pieces cut into chunks Two and a half tablespoons vegetable oil A large onion, diced A pinch of powdered saffron Five pods cardamom Three whole cloves One piece cinnamon stick Half teaspoon ground ginger A pound of basmati rice Four cups of chicken stock One and a half teaspoon of salt Directions In a large skillet, in two tablespoons vegetable oil fry potatoes until brown, drain and reserve the potatoes. Add remaining two tablespoons oil to the skillet and fry onion, garlic and ginger until onion is soft and golden. Add chilli, pepper, turmeric, cumin, salt and the tomatoes. Fry, stirring constantly for five minutes. Add yogurt, mint, cardamom and cinnamon stick. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes are cooked to a pulp. It may be necessary to add a little hot water if the mixture becomes too dry and starts to stick to the pan. When the mixture is thick and smooth, add the chicken pieces and stir well to coat them with the spice mixture. Cover and cook over very low heat until the chicken is tender, approximately 35 to 45 minutes. There should only be a little very thick gravy left when chicken is finished cooking. If necessary cook uncovered for a few minutes to reduce the gravy. Wash rice well and drain in colander for at least 30 minutes. In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil and fry the onions until they are golden. Add saffron, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, ginger and rice. Stir continuously until the rice is coated with the spices. In a medium-size pot, heat the chicken stock and salt. When the mixture is hot pour it over the rice and stir well. Add the chicken mixture and the potatoes; gently mix them into the rice. Bring to boil. Cover the saucepan tightly, turn heat to very low and steam for 20 minutes. Do not lift lid or stir while cooking. Spoon biryani onto a warm serving dish.