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mutton biryani served on a plate

Easy Delicious Mutton Biryani

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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
soaking rice 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: pakistani, south asian
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Main Ingredients:
  • 500 gram Basmati Rice (approx. 2 ½ cups) rinsed and soaked for 30mins
  • 700 gram Mutton-bone in (approx. 1.5lbs)
FOR GRAVY
  • 2 Onions Big Ones
  • 5 Tomatoes Medium sized
  • 1 cup yogurt
  • 4 tbsp ginger garlic paste
  • 3 dried plums
  • 2 tsp paprika powder
  • 2 tsp crushed red chilies
  • 1 tsp black pepper powder
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder
  • 1-½ tsp salt according to your taste
  • 1 tsp South Asian spice blend garam masala
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg powder a pinch
BOILING MUTTON
  • 3 green cardamom
  • 2 big cardamom
  • 2-3 cloves
  • 2-3 garlic cloves
  • 1 inch ginger slice
BOILING RICE
  • 5 tsp salt
  • 5-6 cups water
FOR GARNISHING
  • few pinches orange or yellow color
  • 3-4 drops of kewra water
  • 3-4 finely sliced lemons
  • 2-3 green chilies
  • few chopped coriander leaves

Method
 

BOILING THE MUTTON
  1. In a pressure cooker (preferred for faster cooking) or a deep saucepan, add the mutton pieces and enough water to fully submerge them. Add green cardamom, black cardamom, cloves, ginger, and garlic. Bring to a boil and cook until the meat is about ⅔ done. Remove the meat and set aside. (Note: You can reserve the stock for extra flavor later)
    boiling meat with whole spices
PREPARE THE GRAVY
  1. In a large saucepan, heat oil and fry sliced onions until deep golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté for 1 minute.
    Frying finely sliced onions in a pan
  2. Stir in chopped tomatoes and cook until softened. Add the boiled mutton and fry until the oil begins to separate. Stir in yogurt and all the ground spices (paprika, crushed chilies, turmeric, salt, nutmeg, garam masala, cumin, coriander, black pepper) and dried plums. Cook until the masala is rich, thick, and the oil separates from the gravy.
    mutton gravy for biryani layer
PREPARE THE RICE
  1. While the gravy simmers, boil 6–8 cups of water with 5 tsp salt. Add the soaked basmati rice. Boil until the rice is 70-80% done (it should still have a slight "bite" in the center). Drain immediately.
LAYERING AND STEAM THE BIRYANI
  1. Taste Check: Taste the mutton gravy; it should be slightly salty to ensure the final dish is perfectly seasoned.
    Layering: Spread the boiled rice evenly over the mutton gravy.
    Garnish: Top with a drizzle of kewra water, green chilies, fresh coriander, lemon slices and sprinkle of food color.
    layering boiled white rice over biryani's gravy
Steam:
  1. Cover the pot tightly with a lid (use a cloth or foil under the lid to trap the steam). Simmer on very low heat for 10–15 minutes. This allows rice and gravy to fully absorb flavors.
    garnished mutton biryani
Rest and Serve:
  1. Now Turn off the heat and let the pot sit undisturbed for 5–10 minutes. Gently fluff the biryani from the edges, mixing the white and colored rice slightly with the meat. Serve hot with mint raita or salad.
    ready mutton biryani

Notes

Serve hot with mint raita or salad.
  • Use basmati rice for best aroma and texture.
  • Ensure meat is fully cooked before layering; otherwise, it won’t soften during steam.
  • Adjust spice and salt level according to preference.