Kacchi Biryani

Whenever I think of anyone’s wedding I think of kacchi biryani. Kacchi biryani was always eaten on a special occasion in my house growing up. And if you are Bangladeshi you know the best kacchi is without a doubt is Fakruddin’s.

My mom’s favourite part is the “aloos” (potatoes) — whenever we are at a wedding in Bangladesh my dad tends to bribe the wait staff to get the best aloos at our table — of course that makes my mom incredibly happy.

Adding potatoes to briyani isn’t popular around all the regions that make briyani but it is a staple in Bangladesh. Biryani is synonymous with the Mughal era — but it can be traced back to even before they popularised it. It was also popularised by the Persians —

The word “biryani” comes from the Persian word “birian” which means “fried before cooking.”

** This recipe is a labour of love and time consuming but the results are amazing and worth every minute.

Ingredients

For the meat:

• 3 lb bone-in mutton (I asked the butcher to use the shoulder but leg works too — just make sure its big chunks.)
• 1 cup full fat yogurt
• 1 teaspoon cardamom
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon mace
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• salt
• saffron (2 pinches like 10 strands each pinch)
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 5 to 6 golden potatoes
• 1 cup fried onions
• 10 kabab chini (you can find them at Indian/Asian stores it doesn’t have an English name.)
• 2 tablespoon ghee

For the rice:

• 3 cups of basmati
• 3 bay leaves
• 5 to 6 dried red plums (aloo bokhara)
• black peppercorns
• salt
• 1 cup ghee
• 2 cups whole milk
• saffron (pinch) 

For the dough seal:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup water

• 

• 

• 

Directions

1. Marinade the mutton with yogurt, salt, cardamom, cinnamon, mace, nutmeg and chili powders. For the saffron bloom the saffron in two table spoon of hot water before adding it to the meat. And marinade overnight. But if you are short on time — soak the mutton in salt water for an hour and then drain and marinade for an hour in the yogurt and spices and saffron for an hour.
2. While the meat marinates or comes up to room temperature if you’d marinaded it overnight. Peel the potatoes and in a non stick pan add in two tablespoon of ghee and lightly fry the potatoes. Sprinkle in some salt as they fry and add in the turmeric and more bloomed saffron. Add in 1/4 cup water bit by bit so the turmeric powder doesn’t burn.
3. Put the oven at 250° and in a dutch oven (7 quart at least) layer in the mutton — don’t worry about adding in any oil on the bottom the mutton has enough fat in itself. Crush and add in fried onion as a later on top of the meat. Add in bay leaves and kabab chin and the potatoes.
4. Wash the rice throughly until the water runs clear-ish. In a pot of water add in the rice, bay leaves, black peppercorns and salt and cook for 8 to 10 minutes on medium.
5. Drain the rice and immediately layerthe hot rice over the potatoes and fried onions. Top it with the plums and add in melted ghee and make sure to distribute it as evenly as possible over the rice. Pour in two cups of warm milk and over the pot with the lid.
6. In an another bowl make a dough with two cups of flour and one cup of water to seal the small opening between the with the dough so the steam doesn’t escape. And pop it in the oven for three hours.
7. Take the biryani out at three hours but don’t open the pot until you are ready to eat or serve. It’s also tradition not to scoop out the biryani with a spoon — the spoon will break the rice — instead use a small plate or tea saucer to scoop it out.

*Head over to my IG to watch how I make it — it’s on my story-highlights.