Royal Mutton Zafrani Pulao

Ingredients

400 gms  Basmati Rice
500 gms Boneless Mutton
2 cups Onions Thinly Sliced
½ cup Milk
2 tblsp Curd
1 tsp Garam Masala Powder
1 tsp Jeera Powder
1 tsp Dhania Powder
1 tsp Elaichi Powder
2 Fresh Bay Leaves (Tez Patta)
1 inch Cinnamon Stick
1 cup Mix Dry Nuts
1 cup Mix Soft Dry Fruits
½ cup Fresh or Tin Cherries
½ cup Chopped Pineapple
½ cup Oranges Chopped
1 tblsp Saffron Soaked in Warm Water
4 tblsp Ghee
Salt as per Taste

Method

Wash rice thoroughly and soak it for 30 minutes. Soak dry soft fruits (Apricots, Kishmis, Sultanas, Anjeer, etc) in warm water for 2 hour before this preparation.

Blanch all the dry nuts (Almond, Pistachio, Pine Nuts, Pumpkin Seeds, etc.) remove the skin and chop diagonally length wise, those nuts which can be chopped. Keep it aside.

In a rice pot heat ghee. Once the ghee is heated, add chopped sliced onions and saute until onion is light brown. Add mutton pieces and saute for 4 to 5 minutes until the onion is thoroughly mixed and coated to the mutton. Add milk and all the powdered spices, with bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Stir and saute the mutton for a minute more. Once the mutton soaks up liquid, add curd, and stir.

Add salt as per taste a little more then usual and about 1 cup of water. Now taste the soup, it should be full of flavors and a bit salty. (Don’t worry, the rice will absorb the salt).

Cover the pot and let the mutton cook for 20 to 25 minutes on a medium heat. The mutton should be cooked to 80%.

Uncover the pot and stir the mutton. The aroma of the mutton will fill the room. Bring in rice, drain and add it in the mutton. Along with it add add saffron, and all the fruits, stirring slowly and thoroughly to mix well. Add 1 cup more water mixing well. Now high the heat until a boiling of liquid is seen.

Stir the pulao thorough but slowly mixing well. Add more water if the rice has absorbed the liquid. Adjust the salt if needed and cover the pot with a damp cloth and then with lid. Let it dum for about 10 minutes on simmer heat.

Once you see slow steam coming out of sides of the lid uncover the pot and smell the aroma.

Drizzle some pure ghee on the rice and...GarNICHE with fried onions and serve hot.