Nawabi Biryani

Ingredients:
Basmati rice - 750 gms
Mutton - 750 gms
Onions - 250 gms
Curd - 400 gms
Almonds - 50 gms
Cashew nuts - 50 gms
Milk - 1 cup
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Lemon - 1
Green chillies - 8
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
Cardamom - 4
Cinnamon - 3-4 pieces
Cloves - 6
Mint leaves - few
Bay leaves - 2
Saffron - few strands
Shajeera - 1 tsp
Oil/Ghee- 100 ml

Method:

• Wash, clean and cut mutton.
• Slice the onions and green chillies and fry them in little oil till golden brown. Cool and grind them to make paste.
• Mix curd, ginger garlic paste, onion paste,salt, red chilli powder, turmeric in a bowl.
• Now add mutton pieces and mix well.
• Keep aside this marinated mutton for 2 hours.
• Soak saffron in milk.
• Fry almonds and cashew nuts in ghee and keep aside.
• Heat oil in pressure cooker or dekchi, add bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and shajeera. Fry for few seconds.
• Add chopped mint leaves, saute few seconds.
• Add marinated mutton and cook for 5 minutes in medium flame then add 1 cup of water and close the lid. Cook till it is done.
• In the meantime cook rice, salt, lemon juice with more water till it is 3/4th done then drain the water completely.
• Take thick bottom vessel, layer mutton with rice, garnish with remaining ghee, saffron soaked milk, cashew nuts, almonds.
• Line the lid with dough and the seal the vessel.
• Put the vessel on an iron griddle and cook in low flame for 25 minutes.
• Serve.