Raw marinated mutton layered with parboiled saffron basmati and sealed to cook together under dum — the original Hyderabadi kacchi biryani of the Nizam's kitchen.
Ingredients
For mutton marinade:
700g bone-in mutton — cut into large pieces
1 cup thick yogurt
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
3 medium onions — thinly sliced, deep-fried golden (birista)
1.5 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp biryani masala
2 tbsp ghee
Whole spices: 4 green cardamom, 2 black cardamom, 1 cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, 2 bay leaves
Juice of 1 lemon
For rice:
2 cups aged basmati — soaked 30 minutes
2.5 litres water + 2 tbsp salt + whole spices — parboil to 70% done
For layering:
1/4 cup warm milk with generous saffron, 4 tbsp ghee, 2 tbsp fresh mint, 2 tbsp birista, 1 tbsp kewra water
For sealing: stiff dough rope
Method
Marinate mutton with all marinade ingredients including birista for 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
Parboil soaked basmati in spiced salted water until 70% done — grains must still show a white core. Drain immediately.
Layer in a heavy-bottomed pot: spread raw marinated mutton with all marinade at the bottom.
Layer the parboiled rice on top. Drizzle saffron milk, ghee, kewra water, fresh mint and remaining birista over the rice.
Seal the pot rim with the stiff dough rope, pressing firmly. Cover with a heavy lid.
Place on high heat for 5 minutes until you hear gentle sizzling.
Reduce to the absolute lowest heat possible — place on a tawa if needed.
Cook on dum for 45 to 50 minutes.
Break the dough seal at the table. The mutton cooks entirely in the steam from its own marinade — the kacchi method.