Coimbatore Anganan Style Mutton Biryani Recipe

I am very happy to share this recipe with you all. Biryani is the most delicious food in this world. I am sure many of you will agree with me. The aromatic rice combined with all spices, masalas and juicy meat....wow....sooo yummy !

My first experience with biryani started at home and till date it is the best. My mom is so talented in cooking and non-vegeterian food is her speciality. Well, this particular recipe is not my mom's recipe. But this is very special to my whole family especially my dad.

In the city of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, with regard to food - two places are very famous - Sree Annapoorna (for veg) & Angannan biryani hotel (for non-veg). After coming to Dubai I have been really missing my mom's cuisine and both these hotels. One day I was googling with not much hope for Angannan biryani recipe and Yes, I found only one site that shared the recipe. I am very thankful to jzzz for sharing this on her blog.

Ofcourse the very next day I tried it with chicken and it turned out so delicious as the original one. This weekend I tried with indian mutton and since K likes it very spicy, I have increased the amount of green chilli as against the original and it was so mouthwatering even if I look at the pictures now!

Today I am going to share the Coimbatore special Angannan biryani hotel recipe.

Though biryani making looks like a big procedure, it is very easy after you do it couple of times.

Recipe courtesy : jzzzeazzzy

Ingredients:

Mutton - 1/2 kg (cut into medium pieces)
Basmati Rice - 3 cups (you can also use jeerakasala rice)
Oil - 4-5 tbsp
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Cloves - 3
Cinnamon - 1'' piece
Cardomom - 2
Shallots - 5
Garlic pods - 5
Red Onion - 1 chopped julienne
Tomato - 1 medium size
Coriander leaves - roughly chopped one handful
Mint leaves - roughly chopped half the quantity of coriander leaves
Lemon juice - out of 1/2 medium size lemon

Rice : Water ratio - 1 : 2

Spices

Salt - as required
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

For Grinding:

Shallots - 15
Garlic pods - 7
Green chilli - 5 (if you want it more spicy, dont increase the chillis here, it will alter the original taste slightly )
Ginger - 1'' piece
Cloves - 4
CInnamon - 2'' piece
Cardamom - 4

Method:

Wash the rice nicely and drain the water and keep it aside.

Put all the ingredients to grind in the mixer and make a smooth paste. If required add only
1 or 2 tsp water. Keep it aside.

In the cooker add the washed mutton pieces, little turmeric, 1/4 tsp castor oil & required salt. Saute it nicely till mutton changes color and leaves some water. Then add water it mutton pieces are immersed in water and cook for 3 whistles. (i.e. cook only 3/4th )

Heat oil and ghee in the biryani pot. Then add all the whole garam masals (cinnamon, cloves & cardamom ) and fry till you get the aroma. Then add the shallots and garlic and saute for few mins. Now add the julienne onions and tomatoes and saute nicely. Then add the coriander and mint leaves and saute for few seconds. Now add the ground paste and saute nicely and simmer the gas and cover the lid for few mins. Oil will start leaving from sides. At this point add the mutton pieces and mix well. Keep in low flame and saute nicely by keeping the lid closed. This will help the mutton to nicely absorb the masala. Make sure to keep tossing it every now and then. Then add the required water, lemon juice and required salt for rice and let the water boil. Then add the rice and mix well. If you want it more spicy, you can add slit green chillis now and it gives a wonderful taste and aroma to the dish. Cook well like a dum biryani. (steps mentioned below)

I know to make dum biryanis only. I dont know the other versions and somehow I dont like the taste of pressure cooked biryanis.

How to cook dum biryani:

1. Take a heavy bottom vessel for making biryani preferably with a matching lid (need not be air tight)

2. Start the process of making biryani in the vessel itself

3. Finally after add rice and water, close the lid of the vessel and keep in high flame but use a small burner. Otherwise the rice at the bottom will get burnt.

4. Keep checking for water level. Usually within 5mins, Rice and water level will be equal. At this point, reduce the flame - keep it in maximum low (in the small burner). If you have a flat lid, keep quite a big bowl of water on top of the lid. You can also keep a big stone. Something heavy, so the that the lid is tightly closed and no steam should come out. Cook like this for 10mins.

5. Once cooked, switch off the gas and open the lid and give a nice stir.

(I dont have a flat lid. Mine is a glass lid with a knob. so in invert the lid and keep the bowl of water on top)

Enjoy the delicious, very aromatic and tasty biryani :)