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Kolkata Mutton Biryani

Delicate, fragrant Kolkata biryani with soft mutton, the iconic potato and a whole boiled egg.

Ingredients

• 750 g mutton, curry cut
• 500 g basmati rice
• 4 potatoes, halved
• 5 eggs, boiled
• 1 cup curd
• 2 onions, sliced and fried (birista)
• 1½ tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 2 tsp biryani masala
• ¼ tsp saffron in warm milk
• 1 tsp kewra water
• 1 tsp rose water
• 5 tbsp ghee
• whole spices: cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf
• salt to taste

Method

1. Marinate mutton with curd, ginger-garlic, biryani masala, half the fried onions and salt for 3 hours.
2. Cook the mutton covered on low heat until tender, about 60 minutes (or 3 whistles). Gravy should be thick.
3. Rub potatoes with turmeric and salt, fry golden in ghee.
4. Boil rice with whole spices and salt till 70% done. Drain.
5. Layer in a heavy pot: mutton, potatoes, eggs, rice; sprinkle saffron milk, kewra, rose water, ghee and fried onions.
6. Seal the lid with dough or foil and cook on very low heat (dum) for 25 minutes. Rest 10 minutes before opening.

Tip: Fry the potatoes well before layering — they soak up the mutton juices on dum.