Guest Post : Thalassery Mutton Dum Biriyani from Rafeeda of The Big Sweet Tooth

It’s truly an honor to be sharing today's guest post which comes from a very sweet person and wonderful blogger, Rafeeda. Rafeeda is a working woman, mom of two cute little girls and an active blogger at The Big Sweet Tooth where she shares traditional Indian recipes & sweet treats with beautiful write-ups. Can you believe she has done many guest posts in a short span of time. I really admire her efforts and wonder how she manages all that! When I contacted her to share some traditional Eid-ul-Adha recipe over here, she graciously accepted the guest post offer. Let's check out how she celebrates Eid and what she makes especially for her family :)

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Salaam to all the readers of Simply Sweet and Savory…

When Ambreen emailed me with a request for a meat related delicacy served during Eid, I couldn’t say know to her. Who would be able to say “no” to the simply sweet Ambreen? J Amid short notice, though I rummaged through my drafts, I was not able to find much of recipes related to mutton or beef, mainly because it is something cooked when you are really in a mood to or there is an occasion, and yes, occasions like Eid which call for some grand food!

I guess I’ll start with a little introduction about myself. I am Rafeeda, who blogs at The Big Sweet Tooth . A working mother, with two little sweethearts, who looks at cooking as a perfect stress-buster – this is the best way to sum up what I am! Cooking started something as a chore and slowly bloomed to be one of my favorite pastimes as of now. Even though my cooking is very much to please the taste buds of my live-in family, which includes my parents and brother, I love to explore and try making different dishes, which may be accepted.

Eid is always a festival which is so connected with prayers, relatives and a lot of food. Our typical day starts with the prayers at the Eidgah, which the whole family attends and then we come back home to receive a lot of guests, in the form of relatives and family friends. Once the early morning rush ceases, we go on to make some biriyani and payasam/ kheer for all of them who would be around during lunch time. Evenings are again marked with visits to relative’s houses, coupled with a lot of chatting and laughter, and more food, of course!! The best part of Eid is always the good times spent with relatives and friends.

Today, I am sharing with you a biriyani, which is so famous in Kerala, a south-based state in India, for literally dancing onto any food connoisseur’s taste buds. Thalassery, which is situated in the northern side of Kerala, is known to be the haven of food. Nobody who goes there would come out with providing rave reviews about food prepared by the lovely ladies there! The version I am sharing here is a simplified version, adapted to suit the taste buds of my family. Subtle in spices, high on aroma – this biriyani is perfect for any occasion!

Thalassery Mutton Dum Biriyani
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Serves : 4

Ingredients :

For Masala :

• 500 gm.  mutton, cleaned
• 1/2 tsp.  turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp.  red chilli powder
• 1 tbsp. ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp.  black pepper powder
• 1/2 tsp.  garam masala powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp.  ghee
• 2 medium onions, sliced thinly
• 3 green chillies, slit
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 4 tbsp.  yogurt
• 2 tbsp.  chopped mint leaves
• 2 tbsp.  chopped coriander leaves
• Juice of one lime

For Rice :

• 2 cups basmati rice
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 1 small bay leaf
• 1 small pc cinnamon
• 4 cloves
• 2 cardamoms
• 5-6 peppercorns
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 600 ml hot water

For Dum :

• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced thinly
• 8-10 cashew nuts, split
• 10-12 raisins
• 2 tbsp.  chopped mint leaves
• 2 tbsp.  chopped coriander leaves
• 1 tbsp.  garam masala powder
• 1 1/2 tbsp.  rose water

Method :

• Marinate the mutton with ingredients from turmeric powder to salt in a pressure cooker, for a minimum of one hour. If able to marinate overnight, then it would taste even better.
• Wash the rice thoroughly and soak in water for an hour. Drain and set aside.
• Prepare the dum ingredients. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the onions with a pinch of salt till brown and crispy. Take out and then fry the cashews till brown. Finally fry the raisins till puffed. Drain all onto a kitchen towel, and set aside.
• Heat a deep saucepan and pour in the ghee. Add in the onions and green chillies and sauté till soft. Add in the tomatoes, and cook till the mixture becomes thoroughly cooked, that you are not able to really make out the onion or tomato! The more it gets cooked, the tastier the masala becomes. Leave it on slow flame for the masala to get cooked maximum. Meanwhile, place the pressure cooker with the marinated mutton on high flame, cook for three whistles. Lower the flame and cook for another 10 minutes. Switch off and allow the pressure to go by itself.
• Add the cooked mutton along with the stock into the onion-tomato mixture and cook on low flame for around 10 minutes. Add the lime juice, yogurt, coriander and mint leaves and give a nice stir. Adjust the salt and seasoning, cook till just boiled and switch off. The masala should be thick and not watery.
• In another saucepan, heat the ghee for the rice. On medium flame, add in the whole masala and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the onions and sauté till just soft, for around 3 minutes. Add in the drained rice and sauté till the rice becomes crispy, for around 10 minutes. Add in the hot water, adjust salt, increase the flame and wait till the water boils. Immediately, lower the flame to minimum, tightly close the lid and leave the rice undisturbed for 10 minutes. After this time, open the lid and check for doneness of the rice. It would be done with a little bite inside. Switch off and give it a light mix.
• Now let’s start the dum. Heat the chappathi tawa/ griddle on medium flame till done. Sprinkle half the garam masala and half the fried dum ingredients over the prepared mutton masala. Layer the whole rice on top of the masala. Sprinkle the remaining garam masala, the remaining dum ingredients, coriander and mint leaves, and finally the rose water. Tightly wrap with aluminum foil and close the lid. Leave on the griddle on low flame for 15-20 minutes till an aroma wafts in the kitchen. Switch off.

• There are two ways of serving this biriyani :

1. Give the biriyani a light mix and serve altogether. 
2. Separate the rice into another bowl, and serve the masala and rice separately. This way of serving is more authentic.

• Normally, I mix and serve to ensure everybody gets equal access  to the masala!!! J
• Serve warm with raita, pickle and pappad!!!

Jazakallah khairan, Ambreen for this lovely opportunity to appear on your space. I have thoroughly loved cooking and doing this guest post for you! Wishing you, your family and all your readers a blessed and joyous Eid ul Adha!

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Thank you so much Rafeeda for taking time out of your busy schedule and doing this lovely guest post for me :)



Thank you for stopping by. Hope you enjoy the recipe!!!