Try your hand at the Indian mutton Biryani

MUTTON biryani is an Indian dish comprising a blend of mutton and lots of spices. Chef Idris Pentagone of Shahi Darbar Restaurant provides a simple recipe with an Indian flair.

The end result will depend on the tenderness of the mutton and balance of the ingredients especially the spices.

Ingredients
Mutton - 500g
Pilao Rice
Onions -115g
Ginger - 5gm
Coriander powder - 15g
Garlic - 2 cloves
Green chilies - 3
Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Dried coconut - 50g
Poppy seed (ground) - 10g
Cloves
Cinnamon
Cardamom - 2g
Peppercorn
Curd - 225g
Salt
Fat - 50g
Bay leaf

Preparation
Clean and cut the meat, soak in curd
Roast and powder cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and peppercorn
Grind the red chillies, half the onion, ginger, garlic and green chillies and copra.

Heat the fat. Add sliced onions, add ground spices and fry. Add meat and stir, add ground poppy seeds.
Add the remaining curd and salt and cook till meat is tender
Add powder spices and remove from fire. Depending on preference, you can add chopped coriander leaves and mint leaves to the mutton.

Heat the fat and fry the onions and set aside
Add spices, when crackle, add rice and fry for a few minutes longer.
Add salt and double quantity of water
When rice is cooked and all moisture has evaporated, remove from fire.

Make a layer of rice in a pan, sprinkle with saffron water, place meat layer over it and again cover with rice
Serve hot, garnished with fried onions and fried nuts.

Compiled by Agnes Kyotalengerire