There are many ways of making Mutton Pulao but this is my very own recipe and whenever i make it everyone loves it. The tender pieces of mutton and aromatic basmati rice cooked in mutton stock and spices gives a very mild and royal taste to this dish.

Pilav or Pulao is originally the feed of Mughal emperors so it has to be royal. My trick of making the perfect rice is adding 1 cup less stock than required, this keeps the rice in shape and dont overcook them. The meat is cooked 90% in yakhni and 10% in the process of making pulao. This prevents the meat from getting mixed in the pulao.  If you have chosen the best kind of meat (20% fat and 80% lean), the best of Basmati rice and spices, and cooked everything to perfection, and added everything at the right time, then there is nothing better than this. ❤

Ayesha’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

FOR YAKHNI

• 2 kilo mutton (goat meat with bone) (cut into curry pieces) (leg or chop)
• 1 large onion (cut into 6 pieces)
• 1 whole garlic (cut into two parts)
• 6 green chillies
• 1 tbspn freshly crushed ginger
• 1 tspn pepper corns
• 1 tspn cloves
• 4 large cardamom
• 4 green cardamom
• 1 large piece of cinnamon
• 1 tbspn cumin seeds
• 1 tbspn coriander seeds
• 1 tbspn fennel seeds
• 1 piece of mace
• 1 nutmeg (cracked)
• 1 Bay leaf
• 9 cups of water
• Salt

FOR PULAO

• 4 cups basmati rice soaked in water
• 1 cup oil
• 1 large onion (sliced)
• 2 tbspns crushed ginger garlic
• 2 tomatoes chopped or 3 tbspns yogurt
• 1 tspn red chilli powder
• 1 tspn coriander powder
• 1 tspn garam masala
• 1 tspn cumin seeds
• 2 big cardamoms
• 2 pieces of cinnamon
• 4 cloves

Method:

• In a cooking pot combine all the ingredients for stock/ yakhni and cook covered. If using pressure cooker cook for 1 hr, if using normal cook pot cook for 2 hours.
• Remove the lid carefully and check if the meat is 90 percent cooked.
• Heat oil in a separate pan and fry onions until they are brown. Add ginger and garlic and fry further for a minute. Take out the meat pieces from the stock and add them to the onions and fry. Add all the whole spices and other spices and mix. Add yogurt or tomatoes and let it cook covered for 15 minutes. Add a splash of stock whenever needed and let it simmer.
• When the masala is cooked add 7.5 cups of stock (strained) and bring it to a boil.
• Add soaked rice and cook on medium high heat. When rice starts soaking yakhni and very little yakhni remains, place a griddle (tawa) under the cooking pot, cover the cooking pot and cook for 15 minutes on low heat.
• Open the lid and gently stir the pulao and serve hot with raita and salad.