Awadhi Mutton Biryaniअवधी बिरयानी
⏱ Prep 40m🍳 Cook 90m🍽 Serves 4🌿 Non-veg
Video: Get Curried (YouTube)
The Lucknowi pakki dum biryani — rice and mutton cooked separately, then layered and sealed to finish together in gentle steam. Unlike Hyderabadi kacchi biryani, the Awadhi version relies on a light hand with spice and heavy use of ghee: the aroma should drift out gently when you break the seal, not hit you like a wall. Patience at every stage — the marination, the dum — is what sets it apart.
📍 Make it in Plano
This recipe is the same everywhere — but where you buy the ingredients and eat the dish is local to you.
Finding Desi spots near Plano…
Ingredients
- ▪bone-in mutton (goat) pieces500g
- ▪aged basmati rice2 cups
- ▪ghee4 tbsp
- ▪onions, thinly sliced2 medium
- ▪full-fat yogurt½ cup
- ▪ginger-garlic paste1 tbsp
- ▪biryani masala1 tbsp
- ▪saffron (Kesar), soaked in 2 tbsp warm milka generous pinch
- ▪green cardamom pods (Elaichi)4
- ▪bay leaves (Tejpaat)2
- ▪cinnamon stick (Dalchini)1 inch
- ▪fresh mint leaves (Pudina)small handful
- ▪saltto taste
- ▪lemon juice1 tbsp
🌍 Cooking abroad? Substitutions
- Bone-in mutton (goat) is available at halal butchers worldwide and gives the most authentic result. Bone-in lamb shoulder is an excellent substitute — reduce the dum time by 5 minutes as lamb is more tender.
- Saffron is non-negotiable for Awadhi dum; look for it at Indian grocery stores, Persian or Middle Eastern shops, or Trader Joe's and Costco in the USA. Spanish saffron works well. Pre-soaking in warm milk for at least 20 minutes is important for colour extraction.
- Birista (fried onions) can be made in advance and frozen. They are also sold pre-packaged at South Asian grocery stores — look for Shan or similar brands.
Method
- 1Wash and soak basmati rice in cold water for 30 minutes, then drain.
- 2Marinate mutton: combine yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, biryani masala, lemon juice, and salt. Coat mutton thoroughly and marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight in the refrigerator.
- 3Fry sliced onions in 3 tbsp ghee over medium heat, stirring often, until deeply golden-brown (birista). Remove and drain. Reserve the ghee in the pot.
- 4In the same pot, add the marinated mutton. Cook on medium-high, stirring, until the mutton is browned and marinade dries, about 15-20 minutes. Add ½ cup water, cover, and cook on low until mutton is 80% done (firm but a knife passes through), about 25-30 minutes.
- 5Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add whole spices (cardamom, bay leaves, cinnamon). Add drained rice and cook until 70% done — still slightly firm in the centre, about 5-6 minutes. Drain and discard the whole spices.
- 6Layer: spread the partially-cooked mutton and its juices as the base. Spread rice evenly on top. Drizzle saffron-infused milk over the rice. Scatter fried onions and fresh mint leaves. Dot with remaining 1 tbsp ghee.
- 7Seal the pot: press a piece of aluminium foil tightly under the lid to trap all steam. Cook on the absolute lowest heat (or place the pot on a flat griddle/tawa to diffuse heat further) for 25-30 minutes.
- 8Remove from heat and rest, sealed, for 10 minutes. Open carefully, gently fold the layers twice only, and serve with raita and salad.
A Desi.Net original recipe · part of our Indian Cuisine library. Confirm details and adjust to taste.