I’m certainly not denying that there’s more elaborate ways of making the original Hyderabadi biryani, – for one, all the ingredients cook together, starting raw, including the meat. So here goes, good luck.

Since people have written in with a whole load of other ways to make biryani, and at least 6 ‘real’ versions, I thought I could at least put up one more. (I’ll do more later if I feel like the editing.) As I mentioned earlier, this is the short-cut version, just one version at that, and I’m certainly not denying that there’s more elaborate ways of making the original Hyderabadi biryani, – for one, all the ingredients cook together, starting raw, including the meat. So here goes, good luck.
By the way, this one is from Miriam Ahmed, Hyderabad with a little editing by yours truly.
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HYDERABADI MUTTON BIRYANI Serves 8
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INGREDIENTS
1 kg mutton
1 kg biryani rice
1/4 kg onions
1 1/2 cups milk
70 gms ginger
50 gms garlic
1 cup chopped mint
1 cup chopped coriander
1 tsp green papaya
10 cloves
6 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp mace
1 tsp shahjeera
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
8 cardamoms
8 green chillies
2 tsp red chilli powder
2 lemons
1 tsp saffron
250 gms yoghurt
4 tbsp ghee
Salt to taste
1 cup unrefined wheat flour

PREPARATION
Wash and cut the meat into large pieces and let it drain thoroughly.

Meanwhile slice the onions and saute till golden brown. Set aside.

Soak half the saffron in lemon juice, and add the other half to the milk.

Pound the ginger and garlic together and set aside.

Pound the papaya to a pulp, keep the skin separate, but pulp that too.

In a blender, briefly mix together the shahjeera, cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon sticks and nutmeg. Add the ginger and garlic and for a minute.

Set half this mixture aside. Mix the other half with all the papaya and use the rest to apply thoroughly all over the meat and set aside for 20 minutes.

Now using a large heavy spoon beat the meat for 15 minutes, turning over and over.

Add the chilli powder, half the coriander and mint, the remaining powdered spices, half the fried onions and the curd and lemon juice, salt to taste and set aside for 2 hours at least. Even 4-5 if possible. (place in the refrigerator for the longer period)

Meanwhile set 5 cups water to boil. Add the remaining chillies, mint and coriander, and one teaspoon salt once it starts boiling. Then add the rice and let it cook slowly till half done. Drain carefully and set aside.

Knead the flour with a little water into soft dough. Roll it out into long strips and set aside.

In another vessel large enough to hold all the meat and all the rice, melt half the ghee. Put in the marinated meat, and then carefully spoon on the rice to cover all the meat. Do not mix it up.

Drizzle over with the saffron milk, remaining ghee, and sprinkle with the remaining fried onions.

Now cover with the lid and use the dough to seal all the edges. Cook on high heat for about 20 minutes. Then turn down the heat, place live coals on the lid and let it cook slowly till done.

Boil the eggs and quarter them.

Cooking the biryani could take upto 50 minutes. At this point you may carefully unseal a corner of the lid and peek inside. If the topmost grains of rice are thoroughly done it means the biryani has cooked through perfectly.

Unseal the vessel, carefully spoon out the biryani into serving dishes going right to the bottom for the meat and spices, but not mixing it all up too thoroughly so as to loose the delicate layers of rice colours. Garnish with the hard boiled eggs.

Serve!

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