Awadhi (Lucknowi) dum biryani

Ingredients

• 750 g mutton on the bone
• 3 cups aged basmati rice, soaked 30 minutes
• Whole spices: 2 bay leaves, 6 cloves, 6 green cardamoms, 2 black cardamoms, 2 cinnamon sticks, 1 tsp shahi jeera, 1 tsp fennel
• 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, 1 cup curd
• 1 cup fried onion (birista)
• 4 tbsp ghee
• ½ tsp saffron in ½ cup warm milk, 1 tsp kewra water, 1 tsp rose water
• 1 tsp garam masala, ½ tsp mace-cardamom powder, salt

Method

1. Make a yakhni: simmer the mutton with half the whole spices, ginger-garlic, salt and water until tender. Strain and keep the stock.
2. Brown the cooked mutton in ghee, add curd, half the birista and garam masala, and cook until thick.
3. Boil the rice in the yakhni (with extra water if needed) and the remaining whole spices until about 70% done. Drain.
4. In a heavy pot layer the meat and rice, sprinkling birista, saffron milk, kewra, rose water and ghee between layers.
5. Seal the lid with dough and cook on very low heat, ideally on a tawa, for 30–35 minutes.
6. Rest 10 minutes, open at the table and mix gently. Serve with raita or salan.