Simple Biryani

Another staple from my childhood - lightly flavored biryani which was consumed in huge quantities. It was more "soul" food in it's flavoring,  and not the heavily spiced, oily version you get in restaurants. This isn't the "kerala" biryani either (no rose water flavor or small grain rice), it owes it's ancestry to hyderabad.



Ingredients

• 1/2 kg mutton
• 2 onions sliced
• 1 whole garlic pod
• 2" ginger piece
• Whole garam masalas - cloves, cardamom, cinnamon
• Hara masala - slit green chillies, chopped coriander & mint leaves (can use dried leaves)
• Ghee (clarified butter)
• Kesar (saffron)
• 1/2 kg (21/2 cups) Basmati rice

Instructions

1. Paste the garlic and ginger together
2. Boil meat with half the garlic ginger paste, 2 each garam masalas, some onion-green chilli-mint and salt
3. Drain the soup and mix enough water in it to make 5 cups
4. Put the kesar in
5. In hot ghee, fry sliced onions light golden
6. Add garlic-ginger and fry
7. Add whole garam masalas and fry
8. Add meat and fry well
9. Add rice which has been washed well and drained
10. Add the soup, stir lightly, cover and boil
11. When water reduces and bubbles appear on the top, add the hara masalas, stir lightly and reduce the heat
12. Place the dekchi on top of a hot tava on slow fire and see that the lid is tightly shut (thava should be heated on the other stove so that it is hot when the dekchi is transferred to it

this can also be made with chicken in place of the mutton