Mutton Yakhni Pulao Recipe |Cooking|

I prepare Biryani and Pulao quite often but all this while I shied away from making this Mutton Yakhni Pulao! I always thought it to be a lengthy and complex process to prepare. This time when I was in Kolkata, I visited my aunt’s place. She is a great cook and I have learnt a lot from her while growing up. She is very talented not only in cooking but also in various kinds of handcrafts. My aunt prepared this Mutton Yakhni Pulao for lunch! As She was preparing the pulao, I was taking down notes of the ingredients and the process. She prepared it with such expertise that the whole process did not seem to be at all complex! I made all the mental notes and I promised myself that this would be the first recipe to make once I am back in my kitchen.

I have made this couple of times since then and what should I say? Each time it tastes exactly like my aunt’s! The recipe was perfect and the process was not at all lengthy. Just you need to follow certain steps as you do for the Biriyani or the Pulao.

What is Yakhni Pulao?

Yakhni Pulao is another great recipe from the Awadhi Cuisine where the process of cooking is done in a dum i.e. slow cooked. Traditionally the yakhni or the stock is prepared in a big sauce pot where the meat and the spices are cooked for a long period of time so that the maximum flavors could be extracted from the spices. To make the process short, today the pressure cooker is used to cook the meat with the spices. A special process is used to extract the flavors from the spices while cooking with the meat. Bouquet Garni is a bundle of spices or herbs tied together in a muslin cloth to prepare a flavorful and aromatic stock. When the stock is done, the bouquet garni is squeezed to extract all the flavors and then discarded.

The flavorful and aromatic grains of rice with succulent pieces of mutton is a sheer pleasure to the taste buds and sure hit at any party. The best part is, it can be served with a side of salad or raita! A perfect treat for a special day! So definitely prepare this for your next party and enjoy the compliments!

Tips:

The grains of rice should not be sticky or mushy so take extra caution while measuring the stock before adding it to the rice. The measurement should be exact. Use of sugar is optional. I use a little bit to balance of the taste.

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MUTTON YAKHNI PULAO

YIELD: 4 Servings
PREP: 40 mins
COOK: 30 mins
READY IN: 1 hr 10 mins

The flavorful and aromatic grains of rice with succulent pieces of mutton is a sheer pleasure to the tastebuds and sure hit at any party. The best part is, it can be served with a side of salad or raita! A perfect treat for a special day!

INGREDIENTS

1 lb mutton or goat meat cut into medium chunks
2 cups basmati rice
2 large onions thinly sliced
10-12 cloves of garlic
1 inch ginger coarsely crushed in a mortar and pestle
1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste optional
1/2 teaspoon shah jeera
2 tablespoons whole garamasala green cardamom,black cardamom,cloves,cinnamon and black pepper corns
3 teaspoons salt or to taste
1 teaspoons sugar optional
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
3 tablespoons white oil
2 tablespoons ghee or clarified butter
1 pinch kesar/saffron
2 tablespoons milk to soak the kesar
1-2 drops kewra water optional
1-2 drops rose water optional

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Marinade the mutton pieces with a teaspoon of salt and ginger-garlic paste for 30 minutes. Meanwhile wash the basmati rice and soak in cold water for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes drain the water through a strainer and keep aside. Make a potli (bouquet garni) by placing the crushed ginger, garlic cloves and the whole garmsala on a muslin cloth. Tie the knot tightly and keep aside.
2. In a pressure cooker add the marinated mutton pieces, 4 cups of water and the potli (bouquet garni) and pressure cook for 15 minutes at medium flame. Switch off the flame and let the pressure release by itself. Check whether the mutton is done. If not cook for additional 5-7 minutes.
3. When the mutton is cooked through, carefully take out the potli and squeeze to release as much flavor and then discard. Strain the mutton pieces through a strainer and reserve the stock. Measure the stock. It should be about 3 1/4 cups. If it is less, then adjust the amount by adding water to it.
4. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan and fry the onions until golden brown in color. Drain and transfer the fried onions to a plate. Soak the kesar in warm milk. In the same pan add the ghee and the shah jeera. Wait for few seconds to pop and then add the cooked mutton pieces. Saute for few minutes and then add the salt, sugar, garamasala powder and mix well. Whisk the yogurt and add in. Cook until the spices start to release oil.
5. Add the soaked and strained rice and saute with the meat until the rice turns opaque. Add the fried onions, reserving a couple of tablespoons for garnish. Add the saffron milk, rose and kewra water and the stock. Bring it to a boil at high flame. When big bubbles start to appear on the surface, cover with a tight fitted lid and turn the flame to medium. Cook for 5 minutes and then switch off the flame.
6. Let it stand for 10 minutes and then open the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Cover for 5 more minutes and then transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with reserved fried onions and serve hot with raita or salad. Enjoy!