Traditional Recipe Mutton/Lamb Biryani Recipe from the Nizams kitchen         Serves 8

Ingredients :

1 lb. mutton or lamb or chicken (cut into 1½ inch pieces)
1 cups basmati rice washed and soaked for half an hour in 2 cups of water. Drain
1 tsp. ginger paste
7-8 strands saffron soaked in 1/2 cup Warm milk
1 cups yogurt
Salt to taste
1½ tsp. garlic paste
Oil to deep fry
1 large sized onions (chopped fine)
3 tbsp. ghee
4 tbsp. Ajika Biryani Spices
2 green chillies (chopped)
2 large sized tomatoes (chopped)
1/2 medium bunch fresh coriander leaves (coarsely chopped)
1 tbsp. butter

Method:
Marinate meat in yogurt, salt, turmeric powder and one tablespoon each of ginger and garlic pastes. Marinate for about four hours in a refrigerator.

Cook rice in salted 2 cups of boiling water till rice is almost cooked. Strain and keep rice warm.

Heat ghee in a thick-bottomed pan with a cover. Add onions and green chillies. Cook, stirring continuously, till onions are light golden brown.

Add rest of the ginger, garlic paste and mix well.

Add marinated mutton and cook on high heat for seven to eight minutes. Add Ajika Biryani Spices. Mix thoroughly.

Stir in 2 cups of water, bring it to a boil, reduce heat and cook covered till mutton is almost cooked. Add tomatoes, salt, half the garam masala powder and fresh coriander leaves.

Cook for fifteen minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Ensure that the cooked mutton does not have a thin gravy. If that is the case cook on high heat to reduce.

Preheat oven to 350F. Arrange half the quantity of cooked mutton in an ovenproof dish and spread half the quantity of cooked rice on top of the mutton.

Sprinkle a little of the remaining garam masala powder, half each of ginger julienne, saffron dissolved in warm milk and mint leaves. Dot the rice with half the quantity of butter. Spread the remaining mutton on top of the rice, followed by cooked rice and repeat the earlier process with the remaining quantities of ginger julienne, saffron milk, garam masala powder, mint leaves and butter. Cover it with aluminium foil and cook in the preheated oven for fifteen to twenty minutes at 350F. Garnish with cilantro and plain yogurt.

Vegetable Biryani Recipe     Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup Basmati rice
2 cups Cauliflower
2 tbsp. ghee
1 onion diced (medium)
1 tomato diced
2 green chili
3 garlic cloves
1 inch ginger minced
4 tbsp. Ajika Biryani Spice Blend
Salt to taste
Cilantro minced for garnish
1 tbsp. cashews
1 tbsp raisins

Method:
1)Soak rice in water for 1 hour. Drain and keep it aside.
2)Heat ghee in a pan with cover. Add onion, garlic and ginger and fry well.
3)Add Ajika Spice Blend and saute well.
4)Add green chili, tomato, cauliflower and cook till cauliflower for 10 minutes.
5)Add rice and fold in
6)Add 2 cups of water and salt.
7)Cover the pan and cook dish for 15 minutes
8)Sprinkle cashews and raisins fried in ghee.