Saturday 4 January 2014

Ambur Mutton Biryani | Ambur Biryani | Easy Mutton Biriyani



So without much delay, let me wish all you wonderful friends & readers 'A Happy & Prosperous New Year'. How did the new year go for you all? Hope it was a colorful and bright one :) I have yet another reason to celebrate this new year. My blog turned one this year. To be exact, day before yesterday. The blog did bring out a year of fun, learning & a new excitement for me. I do not want to bore you guys with long speeches of my enthusiasm. 

So what am I bringing you today? It is not a sweet or dessert. By now, you must be knowing that I celebrate the anniversaries & occasions with chicken & mutton rather than sweets & cakes :) This is yet another amazing biriyani recipe that has been a constant hit in our kitchen. Actually I am only the photographer for this recipe. Everytime, to be frank every Sunday, it has been Deeps who makes this at our home :) We always are on the lookout for different varieties of biriyani & the famous South Indian Ambur biriyani was on our list for a long time. Once we tried it it become quite a regular at our place. Even our guests are a huge fan of it :) So try it out, you guys will definitely fall for it !!

Ambur Biryani is one of the famous food recipes of South India which emerged during the Nawab of Arcot's regime. This was served for the army of Carnatic as it was difficult to prepare Rotis or Parathas to cater to the need of lakhs of jawans. Today, it is served in all Muslim weddings along with Chicken Kebabs & sweet dishes. Courtesy: Wikipedia


 

Recipe Source : Adapted from Here

Marination Time : 1 hour

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Cooking Time : 40-45 minutes


I Used:

Basmati Rice - 2 ½ cups
Water - 4 ½ cups (2 ½ * 1 ¾ cups)
Mutton - ½ kg
Onion - 3-4 nos - medium - sliced
Tomato - 2 small nos - chopped
Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
Mint leaves - ½ cup - chopped
Corainder leaves - ½ cup - chopped
Red Chilly powder - 1 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
Oil - ¼ cup
Ghee - ¼ cup
Salt - As Needed



To Marinate:

Red Chilly powder - 1 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - ½ tsp 
Garam Masala - 1 tbsp
Yogurt - ½ cup
Ginger-Garlic paste - ½ tbsp
Lemon juice - 2 tsp 
Whole Spices:

Cinnamon  - 1 inch stick
Cloves - 2
Cardamom - 2
Bay leaves - 2
Star Anise - 2

To Grind:

Cashews - 10
Fennel Seeds - ½ tsp
Cumin Seeds - ¼ tsp
Green Chilly - 2
Garlic - 3

The Way:

Preparation:

  1. Marinate mutton with the ingredients listed under 'To Marinade' for about 45-60 minutes
  2. After an hour pressure cook the marinated mutton with sufficient water until done and keep aside
  3. Wash and soak the rice for about 10-15 minutes
  4. Add 2 tbsp of ghee in a pan & fry the soaked basmati rice for 2 minutes
  5. Grind the ingredients under 'To Grind' into smooth paste and keep it aside

Cooking:

  1. Heat ghee and oil in a wide bottomed pan. Add the whole spices to it and fry them in a low heat until a nice aroma comes out
  2. Now add the sliced onions and fry till it becomes translucent. Add ½ tbsp of ginger & garlic paste and saute for 2-3 minutes until the raw smell goes off
  3. Then add red chili powder, coriander powder and add turmeric powder. Fry well and add the chopped tomatoes along with salt and fry them for 3-4 minutes
  4. Finally add the mint leaves & coriander leaves and mix it all together. Add the pressure cooked mutton and mix well 
  5. Now add the ground paste and saute it for another 5 minutes in low flame
  6. Then add the fried basmati rice to the gravy and water and mix well. Sprinkle some coriander leaves.
  7. Taste the mix for salt and hotness. Add if required to suit your taste buds
  8. Cover the pan and cook in medium fire for 15 minutes
  9. After 15 minutes check if the rice is done and water has evaporated completely. Else  reduce the flame further and cook for another 5-10 minutes
  10. Once the rice is done, off the flame and leave the pan in the heat of the stove till you serve
Serve with onion-cucumber raita, mint-coconut chutney & mutton gravy of your choice.

Notes:

  • Rice : Water ratio of 1:1 ¾ works perfectly well for me. I use India Gate basmati rice for making this biriyani
Cheers,
Chitz