Thalassery Biriyani

To serve 6 persons

Ingredient	Quantity
Mutton medium pieces	1.25 kg
Sliced onion	500 g
Ginger crushed	2 inch piece
Garlic crushed	4 big cloves
Green chilli crushed	4 nos
Tomatoes chopped	2 nos
Curd	60 ml
Coriander leaves chopped	35 g
Mint leaves chopped	30 g
Refined oil	60 ml
Salt	To Taste
Melam Thalassery Biriyani Masala	2½ – 3 tsp
Ghee	15 ml
Lemon	½ no
Rose water	30 ml
Pandanus leaf (Biriyani Kaitha)	1 no
To make Ghee Rice
Onion	75 g
Ghee	30 ml
Refined oil	70 ml
Kaima Rice	5 cups (1 cup – 200 g)
Hot water	7 ½ cups (1 cup is 150 ml)
Green Cardamom	½ tsp
Cloves	½ tsp
Cinnamon	1 stick
Mace scraped	½ tsp
Salt	To Taste

Cooking method:

Pressure cook the mutton and keep aside.
Heat oil in a vessel.
Add sliced onions and saute the onions until they start turning colour.
Add the crushed ginger, garlic and green chillies and saute until the raw smell is gone.
Add the Melam Thalassery Biriyani Masala and saute for a minute.
Add tomatoes and saute. Once the tomatoes are mashed and the oil starts separating, add the curd and lemon juice.
Season with salt.
Then add the mutton.
Cook further till the oil separates again.
Finish with chopped mint, coriander leaves and pandanus leaves.
Fluff up the ghee rice using a fork and transfer the rice on to the mutton masala.
Drizzle 15 ml ghee and rose water.
Cover and put on dum for 10 minutes.

N.B.: This biriyani can be prepared using chicken also.

To make Ghee Rice
Cooking Method:

Wash and drain the rice.
Heat oil and ghee in a thick bottomed vessel.
Add the spices and sliced onion, till onion becomes soft.
Add the rice and saute till the rice is coated with oil.
Add water and salt and mix well.
When water level goes below the rice level, cover with a tight fitting lid.
Transfer the vessel on to a pre-heated tawa.
Cook further for 10 minutes on a very low flame and switch off the flame and leave it on the tawa.