Lamb Shanks Bhuna Masala

Serves: 2 to 3 

Preparation time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

500 gms. lamb shanks (2)

2 medium onions sliced

1 cup chopped tomatoes

1 ½ tbsp. ginger & garlic paste

4 tbsp. yogurt

3 tsp red chili powder

1 tbsp. coriander powder

½ tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp garam masala powder

1 inch stick of cinnamon

3 cardamom

4 cloves

2 tsp amchoor powder (dry mango powder)

6 curry leaves

¼ cup chopped mint leaves

½ cup chopped coriander leaves

Salt as per taste

5 tbsp + 2 tbsp cooking oil

Method:

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pressure cooker and fry the lamb shanks for 1 minute on high heat. Then add salt, ½ tbsp. of ginger & garlic paste and place the lid. Cook till lamb shanks are soft and tender.
2. Heat 5 tbsp of oil in a large kadhai and add cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom. Then add sliced onion and fry till light golden.
3. Add ginger & garlic paste along with red chili powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder. Fry on slow flame for 2 minutes. When the masala sticks to the kadhai, then add sliced tomato, curry leaves, chopped mint leaves and amchoor powder.
4. Fry for 1 minute and then add whisked yogurt. Place the lid and cook the masala on slow flame for 10 minutes.
5. Finally add boiled lamb shanks along with 1 cup of its stock. Taste and add salt, garam masala powder and chopped coriander leaves. Cook the lamb shanks in masala for another 10 minutes on slow heat.
6. Serve hot with Roti or Pulao

Hyderabadi Dum Biryani | Kachche Gosht Ki Biryani

Hyderabadi biryani, as the name says it all - a Hyderabad speciality. Apart from biryanis, any other dish with the name Hyderabad attached to it is considered to be a delicacy. The spice level is usually high in their cuisine. 

There are two versions of this biryani- Kachi Biryani (raw meat) and Pakki Biryani (precooked meat). This recipe is about the Kachche gosht ki biryani but for those who are making for the first time, it is better to start with the chicken.

The meat is nicely marinated giving it enough time to tenderize and infuse itself in all the spices. The rice is half cooked or little more than that. Along with some other aromatics, the marinated meat is then layered with cooked rice and sealed well with a dough and slow cooked in the steam to the perfection. 

It is unimaginable that the texture of the meat you find in this type of biryani is far more tender and succulent than the usual biryani. The flavors and the aroma you get when you open the lid is just mind blowing. 

Serves: 4 - 5 
Marination Time: For Mutton - overnight ; Chicken - 2 hours
Preparation Time: 30 minutes ( to cook rice)
Cooking Time: 1 hour (dum cooking)

Ingredients:

For Biryani Spice Powder

• 5 green cardamom
• 3 (1 inch ) sticks cinnamon
• 1 bay leaf
• 7 cloves
• 1 tsp shahi jeera (caraway seeds)
• 1 tbsp cumin

For marination

• 1 kilo Chicken
• 1 cup fried onion
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 2 tbsp ginger & garlic paste
• 2-3 green chilies
• 2 tbsp red chili powder (or as per your taste)
• 2 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tbsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 cup chopped coriander leaves
• 3/4 cup chopped mint leaves
• Biryani Spice powder
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup cooking oil / or 1/2 cup ghee
• Salt 

For Rice

• 4 cups of basmati rice (use top quality)
• 1 bay leaf
• Big stick of Cinnamon
• 3 to 4 cardamom
• 1 dried lemon or 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 4 tbsp oil
• Salt
• Water to cook the rice.

For Dum Cooking

• 1/2 cup fried onion
• 1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
• 1/2 cup milk with yellow food color
• 1 tsp rose essence
• Few strands of saffron
• 1 tbsp shahi jeera

Preparation:

1. Clean and cut chicken into medium size pieces.
2. Chop 3 large onion into thin slices and deep fry. Remove on a tissue paper.
3. Heat a pan and dry roast the biryani spices and grind to a fine powder. 
4. Wash the rice and soak for 30 minutes.
5. Make a dough with wheat flour and water, to seal the edges of the vessel.
6. Keep the dum ingredients ready.

Method:

1)  In a large bowl marinate the chicken pieces with ingredients mentioned in marination list for minimum 2 hrs.

2) Keep a large vessel with enough water to cook 4 cups of rice. When the water starts to boil add salt, 1 bay leaf, 1 big stick of cinnamon, 3 to 4 cardamom, 1 dried lemon or 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp vinegar, 4 tbsp oil.

3) Add the soaked rice to the water and cook till 70% done. The rice should be firm as it has to be again cooked in dum for 1 hour. Keep a close eye on this process as it takes only 10 to 12 minutes.

4) Once the rice is cooked, sieve it in a colander and drain all the water.

5) Keep a biryani dum pan for preheating.

6) In a large vessel place the marinated meat as first layer.

7) Spread half of the cooked rice over the meat and drizzle half of milk, half of fried onion (a handful), half of chopped coriander, half of shahi jeera.

8) Repeat the step 7 with remaining cooked rice and dum ingredients.

9) Make a deep dent (at least 3) so that the steam can circulate easily within the vessel.

                          

10) Place the lid and seal the edges with dough as shown in the pic. And place the vessel on the preheated dum cooking pan.

11) For first 10 minutes cook on medium high heat. Then reduce the flame on lowest and cook for 50 minutes.

12) Switch off the gas and let the biryani sit for another 10 to 15 minutes before opening the lid. 

13) Remove the dough and serve the biryani hot with Raita and Baghara Baingan.

Click here for recipe: Raita, Baghara Baingan

Recipe Summary

For Biryani Spice Powder

• 5 green cardamom
• 3 (1 inch ) sticks cinnamon
• 1 bay leaf
• 7 cloves
• 1 tsp shahi jeera (caraway seeds)
• 1 tbsp cumin

For marination 

• 1 kilo Chicken
• 1 cup fried onion
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 2 tbsp ginger & garlic paste
• 2-3 green chilies
• 2 tbsp red chili powder (or as per your taste)
• 2 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tbsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 cup chopped coriander leaves
• 3/4 cup chopped mint leaves
• Biryani Spice powder
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup cooking oil / or 1/2 cup ghee
• Salt 

For Rice

• 4 cups of basmati rice (use top quality)
• 1 bay leaf
• Big stick of Cinnamon
• 3 to 4 cardamom
• 1 dried lemon or 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1/4 cup oil
• Salt
• Water to cook the rice.

For Dum Cooking

• 1/2 cup fried onion
• 1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
• 1/2 cup milk with yellow food color
• 1 tsp rose essence
• Few strands of saffron
• 1 tbsp shahi jeera

Preparation:

1. Clean and cut chicken into medium size pieces.
2. Chop 3 large onion into thin slices and deep fry. Remove on a tissue paper.
3. Heat a pan and dry roast the biryani spices and grind to a fine powder. 
4. Wash the rice and soak for 30 minutes.
5. Make a hard dough with wheat flour and water, to seal the edges of the vessel. 
6. Keep the dum cooking ingredients ready.

Method:

1)  In a large bowl marinate the chicken pieces with ingredients mentioned in marination list for minimum 2 hrs.

2) Keep a large vessel with enough water to cook 4 cups of rice. When the water starts to boil add salt, 1 bay leaf, 1 big stick of cinamon, 3 to 4 cardamom, 1 dried lemon or 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp vinegar, 1/4 cup oil.

3) Add the soaked rice to the water and cook till 70% done. The rice should be firm as it has to be again cooked in dum for 1 hour.
Keep a close eye on this process as it takes only 10 to 12 minutes.

4) Once the rice is cooked, sieve it in a colander and drain all the water.

5) Keep a biryani dum pan for preheating.

6) In a large vessel place the marinated meat as first layer.

7) Spread half of the cooked rice over the meat and drizzle half of milk, half of fried onion (a handful), half of chopped coriander, half of shahi jeera.

8) Repeat the step 7 with remaining cooked rice and dum ingredients.

9) Make a deep dent (at least 3) so that the steam can circulate easily within the vessel.

10) Place the lid and seal the edges with dough as shown in the pic. And place the vessel on the preheated dum cooking pan.

11) For first 10 minutes cook on medium high heat. Then reduce the flame on lowest and cook for 50 minutes.

12) Switch off the gas and let the biryani sit for another 10 to 15 minutes before opening the lid. 

13) Remove the dough and serve the biryani hot with Raita and Baghara Baingan.

Click here for recipe: Raita, Baghara Baingan