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KACHCHI BIRYANI
The term ‘kachchi’ means raw referring to the biryani ingredients being combined raw in layers instead of first cooking the meat, or rice separately. Traditionally, kachchi biryani is cooked in a clay oven and the cooking pot is usually sealed with flour dough to allow the biryani to cook in its own steam.
The sealed pot is not opened until the biryani is ready to be served.
Kachchi biryani is usually a featured dish for weddings and social gatherings, and celebrations. Layers of meat, rice and potatoes are infused with warm and delectable blends of aromatic spices to prepare kachchi biryani and each spoonful is a mouth-watering surprise.
Ingredients
2 kg mutton (large pieces)
1 kg aromatic or basmati rice
1½ cup ghee
½ kg potatoes, same size
2 cups chopped onions
4 tbsp ginger paste
2 tbsp garlic paste
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp chili powder
1½ cup plain yoghurt
1 tsp nutmeg powder
½ mace powder
½ tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp crushed cloves
1 tsp green cardamom powder
10-12 whole black pepper
10 alubukhara
10-12 almonds
¼ cup raisins
3-4 tbsp kewra essence
Salt as needed
Ground turmeric, just a little to add colour
Method
Clean and rinse the mutton. Marinate with 1 tablespoon of salt for half an hour. Clean the mutton again and completely drain out all the water. Set aside.
Fry the onion until they are crisp. Crush the onions lightly into smaller pieces and set aside. Sprinkle a bit of turmeric on the potatoes and fry them in the same ghee. Keep these aside.
Now marinate the mutton with salt, fried onions, ginger, garlic, cumin, chilli powder, cardamom-cinnamon powder, clove and kewra. Pour the marinated mutton along with the mix evenly into a large sauce pan.
Set aside.
In a separate pan, start boiling 6 cups of water with salt. Add rice into the water. As soon as the rice starts to get cooked, turn off the heat and let the water drain. Keep the rice water aside for later use. Add 1 cup of rice water and ½ cup of ghee into the sauce pan containing the mutton.
Cover the pan and let it rest for half an hour. Now layer the fried potatoes, alubukhara, almonds and raisins on top of the mutton. Cover the mutton with rice, and add the remaining rice water and ghee.
Make sure the water only just covers the rice. Seal the cover shut by wrapping an aluminium foil all around. Make sure the cover is air tight and the vapour does not escape. Alternatively, the cover can also be sealed using wet flour dough. Finally, turn on the stove and start cooking over medium heat. After 15 minutes, lower the heat and cook for about an hour. Keep on low heat until both the rice and meat appear soft and cooked. Remove the cover once the very distinct biryani aroma starts to spread. Mix rice and mutton gently before serving. Serve with the usual chutney and the traditional borhani.
Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed
Food: The Palace Luxury Resort, Bahubal, Habiganj
Styling assistance provided by RBR
Photos presented as creative visualisations