Mutton kacchi biryani recipe | How to cook at home

 Kacchi biryani is a traditional Bengali recipe made with mutton and an array of flavorful seasonings. Traditionally, kacchi biryani is cooked in clay oven and the cooking pot is usually sealed with flour dough to allow the biryani to cook in its own steam.  

Mutton kacchi biryani recipe | How to cook at home

Ingredients:

• Pulao rice (chinigura/basmati) : 2 cups

• Mutton : ½ kg

• Yogurt : ½ cup

• Ghee : 1 cup

• Potato (medium) : 2 pieces

• Onion (chopped) : ⅓ cup

• Garlic paste : ½ tablespoon

• Ginger Paste : ½ tablespoon

• Red chili powder : 1 tablespoon

• Coriander seeds : ½ tablespoon

• Cumin seeds : ½ tablespoon

• Cardamom : 4 pieces

• Cinnamon powder : ½ tablespoon

• Cloves : 3 pieces

• Bay leaf: 2 pieces

• Nutmeg : ½ piece

• Mace : ⅓ piece

• Prunes: 3 pieces

• Rose water : 1 tablespoon

• Kewra essence (screwpine) : ½ tablespoon

• Flour dough (for sealing the handi/pan in which the biryani will be cooked)

• Salt : as per taste

• Water

Instructions: 

1. Wash and clean the mutton. Marinate with 2 tablespoons salt and keep aside for half an hour.

2. After half an hour, wash the mutton once more. 

3. Dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds, red chili powder, nutmeg, mace, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and grind into a fine powder.

4. Add the yogurt, ginger paste, garlic paste, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, red chili powder, nutmeg, mace, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf in the meat and marinate for an hour. 

5. Wash the rice, drain all the water and keep aside.

6. Boil some water in a saucepan and add 2 tablespoons of salt in it.

7. Add the rice and let it boil till the rice is almost half done.

8. Add 1 tablespoon of  ghee in a frying pan on medium heat.

9. Lightly roast the chopped onions and potatoes.

10. Take a handi or a saucepan (make sure it has a proper lid) and brush it with a little ghee.

11. Add rice, then the marinated mutton, fried potatoes and prune, then rice and then mutton again. Finally top it up with the remaining rice. 

12. Sprinkle the remaining ghee and kewra essence on the top. Close the lid tightly of the handi and seal it with the dough.

13. Put this on dum or slow cooking. For the mutton to be fully cooked, this has to be put on heat for at least an hour.

14. Sprinkle rose water on top before serving. 

15. Serve hot this traditional kacchi biryani.