Biriyani Nizami

Ingredients:

500 gms good quality rice ( Jasmine, Kohinoor or Royal Basmati )
I kg boneless mutton, the flesh part of leg or shoulder
1 cup curd
2 big onions minced
1” piece of ginger grated
4 green and red chillies
6 cloves
1” long piece cinnamon stick
1 small pinch of nutmeg and mace
2 tbsps saffron strands
6 tbsps hot milk
50 gms blanched and fried sliced almonds
50 gms each of cashewnuts, pistachios, and raisins cut into small bits
1 small bunch of seedless grapes variegated
3 canned pineapple slices cut into small pieces
silver foil
A few drops of food colouringliquid as per requirement
4 tbsps garam masala, salt to taste
A few cardamom seeds

Directions:

Soak saffron in milk for a few minutes then crush the saffron bits and make a paste of them. Then wash and wipe mutton with cold water and cut it into small pieces. Now wash and soak the rice into sufficient quantity of water for about an hour. Grind ginger and chillies to a smooth paste.

Now heat a cup full of ghee, and fry onion till tender. Apply garam masala liberally on the mutton and fry it with the ginger- chilli
paste till it is golden brown from all sides. Now put in curd and cover it with a light weight till mutton is tender and dry. Now remove it from fire and set aside.

Heat 3 tbsps of ghee and fry the remaining of the spices. Add to it the rice and fill it up with the water the rice was soaked in. Adding salt bring it to a boil. Then lower the heat to simmering and continue cooking till the rice is soft and tender. A few drops of lime will keep rice grains separated from each other.

Now remove the rice from fire and mix it liberally with the saffron solution.Now divide the whole quantity of rice into as many portions as you wish to color it by. Place the whole variegated slabs of rice in a fireproof bowl, cover and cook it again on a very low fire. Take precaution of placing a layer of uncooked rice beneath and above the colored lot. When the rice turns soft, remove it from fire, garnish with nuts and decorate colorfully with silver foil. Place the pieces of fruit over it in the pattern as you wish. Garnish with mint leaves and lemon pieces. Serve it hot with vegetable salad or vegetable raita.