Shahi Biryani Recipe

1. Wash and cut the meat into 1 inch cubes. Rub with salt and keep aside for 15 minutes. Drain any remaining water.

2. Grind all the ingredients from ginger to cumin seeds to a fine paste.

3. Powder all the ingredients from cinnamon to mace.

4. Marinate the mutton with the ground and powdered spices from Steps 2 & 3, yogurt, salt and red chili powder.

5. Peel and halve the potatoes. Prick the potatoes and rub with salt and turmeric powder. Keep aside for 15 minutes and then fry lightly in oil.

6. Heat oil in a deep bottom non stick pan and fry the onions till reach brown and crisp. Remove the pan from fire and keep aside half of the fried onions.

7. Put the pan with the rest of the fried onions in fire and put the marinated mutton in the pan with the fried onions and cook the meat for two minutes stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, cover and continue cooking with stirring till meat is done and oil starts separating. Remove from fire.

8. Wash and soak rice in cold water for at least 30 minutes. Boil water and add the ingredients from cloves to salt. Add rice. Cook till half done and then drain. Save 2 cups of the drained water.

9. Heat, crush and soak saffron in half cup of warm milk.

10. Take deep thick bottomed pan wide enough to hold the mutton and the rice. Spread some meat in the bottom of the pan then add some rice. Dot with ghee, raisins, fried onions, cashew nuts and a few potatoes. Over this put remaining meat and rice and dot with ghee, fried onions, potatoes, raisins. Sprinkle with the drained water. Add saffron soaked milk.

11. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and put the lid back on the pan. Preheat oven to 450 deg Fahrenheit and bake for about 30 - 45 minutes at 400 deg Fahrenheit.

12. Remove from oven, mix the meat and rice mixture. Serve hot garnished with sliced onions, green pepper, tomatoes and sliced hard boiled eggs.