Believe me you, cooking Dum at home is not at all formidable as it sounds. In fact, the entire process is invariably comforting and in every way, rewarding. This was my first time at Dum Biryani, but the end result…it was worth every moment of time and every bit of the effort.
Pure foodgasm!
Now, since we have a long way to go, I better keep my chatter short and start off with the recipe.
Doesn’t this pic get your tummy rumbling already 😉
Marination time: 12 hours minimum
Cooking time: 1.30 hours
Serves: 4 – 5
Ingredients:
For Marination:
Mutton – 250 gm
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder – 3 tsp
Garam masala powder – 2 tsp
2 Green chillies, finely chopped
Yogurt/Curd – 2 tbsp
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Raw Papaya paste – 3 tsp
Few iMnt leaves, finely chopped
3 tbsp Coriander leaves, finely chopped
Onions fried-till-brown – 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
For Biryani:
300 gms Basmati rice
4 big onions, thinly sliced
2 big potaotes, cut into quarters or 4 small ones cut into halves
4 tbsp Ghee
1 tbsp Oil for biryani
5 tbsp Oil for frying onions
5 tbsps saffron milk. (I did not have saffron. So mixed the color in the milk instead)
Small bunch of chopped coriander
few mint leaves
Whole spices:
1. 3 bay leaves
2. 4 green cardamoms
3. 5 cloves
4. 5 black pepper corns
5. 2 medium cinnamon sticks
6. 1 star anise
7. 1 black cardamom
Chapati dough to seal the lid
Raisins and Cashews for garnishing
Vessels needed:
Big heavy bottom chatti or pot
Lid that fits perfectly
Big tawa that can sit the chatti
Method:
I have divided the entire process into 4 steps so it looks a lot simpler. Each then has its sub-steps.
Here you go:
1. Marination: Marinate the meat in all the ingredients, cover and let it sit in the fridge for at least 12 hours before cooking.
2. Frying Onions and Potatoes: Heat 5 tbps oil in a pan and fry onions till brown and crisp.
In the same oil, fry potatoes and leave aside.
3. Cooking rice:
Soak the rice for 30 minutes before boiling.
Boil water and tumble in the soaked rice.
Sprinkle little salt and let it boil, only till half cooked. Careful not to cook it completely. The rice will be cooked till completion in Dum.
4. Dum Biryani:
1. Heat 1 tbsp oil + 4 tbsp ghee in the chatti.
2. Add the all the whole spices mentioned above and fry till aromatic.
3. Gently add the marinated meat and stir. Cook for about five minutes and turn off the heat. (Do not let it cook more as the rest will be slow-cooked in Dum)
4. Layer it up with half-cooked rice and a drizzle of saffron milk.
5. Add few chopped corriander and mint leaves.
6. Here you can add fried potatoes if you wish.
7. Layer the remaining rice and saffron milk.
8. Again, add few chopped coriander leaves, tear few mint leaves. Lastly, add fried onions (leave some for final garnish).
9. Sprinkle raisins on the top.
10. Finally, cover it up with the lid and seal with chapatti dough so the steam doesn’t escape.
11. Now, keep the tava on the flame and then the chatti on the tava.
12. Let the Dum cook on low to medium for about an hour.
The pic below will give you an idea of the setting. Pardon me with the aesthetics here :p
When ready, remove the seal and hold your breath.
The enticing aroma that wafts from the chatti straight into your nose… that is pure sensory overload!
While plating, garnish with fried onions, raisins and cashews and dig in.
So go on…cook up a storm that’ll tantalize the Mughal taste-buds in the heavens above.
Savour a slice of Hyderabad on your plate 🙂
Natasha Gracious 
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