Home-made Mutton Briyani

My recent trip to Mumbai inspired this Sunday lunch. The Briyani I had in Mumbai was simply exotic, and I hoped to replicate it with my so-called culinary expertise.

Briyani at the Vits, Mumbai

I started off by marinating my lamb with yogurt, garli-ginger paste, green chillies, lots of coriander leaves and mint leaves, and of course briyani mix. I let the meat rest for about 1 hour, and put it into the cooker to cook. Sorry, no pressure cooker, yet.

As for the rice, I bought the high quality Basmati rice from an Indian grocer in Brickfields. Heat up some ghee, and fry in the garlic-ginger paste, sliced onions, cinnamon stick and cloves. Then fry in the rice until fragant. Then I put the rice into the cooker, and added lemongrass and screwpine leaves (daun pandan) and cooked it as how i normally do.

When the mutton is 75% cooked, remove it from the cooker. Then heat up your wok, fry in some onions + curry leaves, and put the the mix of semi cooked mutton with its gravy and simmer. You can gradually add in evaporated milk to taste and of course the seasoning such as salt. If you need it more spicy, just throw in some birds-eye chillies (cili padi). Cook accordingly.

Once your gravy is cooked, you can assemle in the rice, and the mutton gravy, in layers. I added the yellow colour, by mixing tumeric with water and soem rose essence. I also assemble hard boiled egg into the Briyani, to make it a more Malaysian version.

I will be 100% honest with you...it was nowhere near Mumbai's version of the Briyani, but definitely a delicious home-made Briyani!!