Dish #409 - Hyderabadi Lamb Pulao

Here's a mutton pulao recipe that I got from my friend...

Ingredients:

Mutton, preferably mutton with very little bones - 500 gms
Ghee - 10-12 tbsp
Onions - 2- sliced
Green chillies - 3-4 chopped
Ginger paste - 1 tsp
Basmati rice - 2½ cup - washed and soaked for 30 minutes
Curd - 1 cup
Salt - 3 tsp
Cashew nuts - 10-12 - fried, for garnishing

Coarsely powder & Tie spices in a muslin cloth together
4 tsp saunf, 2-3 star anise
4” dalchini (cinnamon), 2 moti illaichi (black cardamoms), 8 laung (cloves)

Grind together to a fine paste

1½ tbsp khus-khus ( Poppy seeds) - soaked in warm water for ½ hour
1½ tbsp saunf (fennel seeds), 1½ tsp jeera, 8-10 saboot kali mirch ( black peppercorns).
8 laung (cloves), 2” dalchini (cinnamon)
8-9 chhoti illaichi (green cardamoms) & 2 moti illaichi (black cardamoms)

Method:

Wash rice and preferably soak for 30 minutes.
Put mutton, 1 tsp salt, muslin spice bag and 1 cup water in a pressure cooker. Pressure cook to give 4-5 whistles. Mutton should be tender. (The number of whistles will depend on the quality of mutton).
Grind soaked khus khus with seeds of illaichi and all the other ingredients to a fine paste. Keep aside.
Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed pan. Add sliced onion. Fry till brown.
Add ginger paste and green chillies. Mix well.
Add mutton pieces (without the stock). Fry for 5-6 minutes.
Measure the mutton stock and add enough water to make it to 4½ cups.
Add the freshly made khus khus paste to the mutton. Mix well.
Add curd, rice and 3 tsp salt. Add the stock and water (4½ cups) mixed together. Boil.
Cover and cook on low heat till rice is well cooked and the water dries up. Separate with a fork and serve hot decorated with fried cashew nuts.

Note : Instead of mutton, chicken or mixed vegetables can also be used.