Biryanis are a staple food on any joyous occasion in my family but what tops the list of my favourite is one that my mom makes. It is fragnant, spicy, rich and simply divine!

Ingredients:

·         500g mutton pieces

·         600g basmati rice, washed, drained & soaked for an hour before cooking

·         200 g potatoes

·         Cup oil or ghee

·         300 g onions, thinly sliced and fried crisp

·         3-4 cinnamon pieces

·         3-4 cloves

·         8-10 black pepper-corns

·         2 bay leaves

·         2 green cardamoms

·         11 /2 tbsp garlic paste

·         1 1/2 tbsp ginger paste

·         200 g tomatoes, peeled and chopped

·         2 green chillies,

·          slit 1/2 tsp turmeric powder

·         1 tbsp red chilli powder

·         1 tbsp cumin powder

·         2 cup fresh yogurt

·         3-5 coriander leaves, fresh

·         3-5 mint leaves, fresh

·         3-5 saffron strands, dissolved in a little warm milk

·         salt to taste

Method:

·         Cut potatoes into quarters. Apply salt to them and deep fry.

·         Pour oil/ghee in a skillet. Fry the onions until pink in colour and crisp, remove them and keep aside before adding the cinnamon, cloves and the pastes.

·         Add cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaves and green cardamoms. Then add ginger-garlic pastes and tomatoes. Fry for three minutes.

·         Add the washed mutton pieces. Saute until the mutton gives out its own luices.

·         Add the slit green chillies.

·         Add turmeric, chilli and cumin powders. Mix well.

·         Saute for five minutes, stirring continuously.

·         Mix in fresh yoghurt. Simmer until the mutton is cooked. Then add salt.

·         Continue to cook until the oil separates from the meat.

·         Add finely chopped coriander and mint leaves.

·         In a separate pot, parboil the rice until the grains are half cooked. Strain the rice.

·         Spread out the mutton mixture in a heavy-bottomed pan. Sprinkle the rice on top. Add fried potatoes. Sprinkle saffron milk over this and sprinkle crisp fried onions on top. Cover the platter with a tight fitting lid.

·         Cook on low flame for 20 minutes.

·         Serve with plain chilled yogurt or raita and poppadums.