Kheema Masoor Pulao

I saw this recipe at a Ranveer Brar video, on Facebook. I instantly fell in love with it. I knew right away I had to recreate it. While Ranveer chose to make this with chicken kheema (mince), the hardcore carnivore in me opted for mutton mince. I doubled the quantity so if you are cooking for a family of three or four, I suggest you halve the ingredients. 

As I’d chosen mutton mince, I adjusted the proportion of a few ingredients. I also added an extra twist to this fabulous recipe to enhance it further. Read on to know what I did. 😉

Ingredients:

½ cup sabut masoor (Brown Lentil), wash and soak for 2 hours
2½ cups Basmati rice, wash, and soak for 20 to 30 minutes
500 grams mutton mince
140 grams fried onions
230 grams onions, chopped or sliced
4 green chilies, cut into 1-inch slant pieces
3 heaped tablespoons ginger garlic paste
2 large pinches of saffron (optional but I’d say, go with it)
7 tablespoons/105 grams bland curd (NOT sour), (Important: whisk to a smooth texture)
3 heaped teaspoons Deghi Mirch Powder
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
2½ teaspoons coriander powder
A handful coriander leaves, chopped
A large handful mint leaves, chopped
5 - 6 tablespoons clarified butter (ideally, 6 😉)
2 Bay leaves
4 pieces of 1-inch cinnamon
6 - 8 cloves
12 -16 black peppercorns
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Salt to taste (for kheema marination and rice)

Method:

1. Add fried onions (retain a bit for garnish), raw onions, green chilies, ginger-garlic paste, saffron, curd, Deghi mirch powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, coriander leaves, mint leaves, and salt to the mutton mince. Marinate well and leave aside for 30 minutes.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Heat ghee in a thick bottomed vessel or a large non-stick pan. (I used a huge heavy bottomed non-stick pan) 
   
   
   
   
   
3. Add bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, black peppercorns, and cumin seeds. Allow to splutter. 
   
   
   
   
   
4. Add the marinated mutton mince and sauté until the clumpy kheema gets to a nice crumbly mince texture. The mince may leave a bit of water at this point: don't worry about it.
   
   
   
   
   
5. Drain the sabut masoor and add to the mutton mince. 
   
   
   
   
   
6. Sauté the mutton mince and sabut masoor for 2 to 3 minutes minutes. 
   
   
   
   
   
7. Drain the rice and add it to the mutton mince-masoor mix. 
   
8. Add 1350 mils of water, salt to taste, and give it one (only one, please) very gentle stir. 
   
   
   
   
   
9. Once the water begins to bubble, turn the flame to low, cover the vessel with a tight lid and continue cooking for 20 to 25 minutes. (Do NOT keep opening the vessel frequently to check) 
10. After 20-25 minutes on low heat, the water will have been absorbed by the pulao. Open the lid, QUICKLY pick up a few random grains of rice and QUICKLY shut the lid again. 
    
    
    
    
    
11. Check the grains of rice for doneness. If the rice still has a light bite to it continue cooking for 2-3 more minutes on LOW heat, then shut off the stove and keep the vessel covered for 10 minutes and allow the cooked rice to ‘rest’. 
12. Open the lid and gently, with a spatula, toss the rice to separate the grains. Go into the rice from the sides of the vessel and toss the rice in the middle. (Video attached to show how.)
    
    
    
    

This is where Ranveer Brar’s recipe ends. The next step is all me and I urge you to put in a wee bit of effort to take this recipe to greater heights. The recipe by Brar is so perfect, it deserves the honour of a ‘Dhungar’. 😊

Dhungar (Smoking):

Ingredients:

Small aluminium or stainless vati (small bowl)
OR
Double a sheet of aluminium foil and make a small makeshift bowl 
A tiny piece of coal
1 teaspoon pure ghee/clarified butter

Method: 

1. Once you open the lid and gently toss the rice, put a small stainless steel vati in the centre or the rice. If the pulao is filled right to the top of the vessel, create a crater in the centre of the rice and then place the vati in that crater.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Heat a tiny piece of coal on the stove and when it gets to a point wherein it begins to glow red.
   
   
   
   
3. Carefully place it in the vati. 
   
   
   
   
4. Quickly, but carefully, pour the pure ghee/clarified butter over the coal. 
   
   
   
   
5. Immediately shut the lid over the pulao vessel. 
6. Leave covered for 10 to 15 minutes. Open the lid after 10-15 minutes and remove the vati/charcoal.
7. Garnish with the pulao with the remaining fried onions. Inhale that fabulous smoky aroma and… Serve! 
   
   
   
   
   

Chef Notes:

1. Do NOT use sour dahi and please ensure you whisk the dahi to a smooth texture before adding it to the mince.
2. I’d doubled the quantity of ingredients for this recipe hence used quite a generous pinch of saffron. If you chose to use a tiny pinch, or no saffron at all, the colour of your rice will not have that light ‘saffron-yellow’ hue. Saffron is optional but I’d say, go with it. After all it’s a pulao. 😉 
3. For clarification with regard to the water added to the rice, the ratio is 1:2 therefore add 5 cups water (1250 mils) for 2.5 cups rice, and approximately 125/150 mils (10% extra) for the masoor. 
4. When you add salt to the rice, please err on the side of caution as salt was also added to the kheema/mince. 
5. Once you shut the lid, for the rice to cook, remember to turn the flame to LOW and let the water and the heat do its thang (thing 😊). Hold yourself back from wanting to open the lid time and time again and refrain from stirring the rice. If you follow this point as directed, rest assured, the grains of rice will not be a broken mess. 
6. The 10 minute ‘resting time’, after the rice is cooked, is extremely essential. It gives the rice time to hold its shape, ensuring the grains don’t disintegrate when you toss them later, to separate the grains. It ensures you plate a gorgeous pulao. 
7. Tip: Follow this ‘rest the rice’ rule whenever you cook rice. Pssssttt 😉 In case you have a wee bit of rice stuck to the bottom of the vessel, the ‘resting’ time (read: steam) will loosen up the stuck rice. Yeh meri guarantee hai! This, of course, does not apply when you burn the rice, warna bologe, “you had said it would loosen the rice”. 😝 
8. While this pulao does not have huge pieces of meat or chicken adorning it and looks quite unassuming when you plate it, don’t go by its looks. Trust me, it is robust in flavour. Aur Dhunagar ke baad toh kya kehne! 
9. While I know Ranveer Brar is too busy a person to reply, I would like to say… “Thank you ever so much for this fabulous recipe, Ranveer, and I hope, if you ever recreate it, you try giving it a Dhungar. It’ll take your fabulous recipe to new heights. From one food lover to another, I promise!” 
10. As mentioned at the onset, the original recipe belongs Ranveer Brar. This version of the recipe and the photographs, though, belong to my blog, Kenzy’s Kitchen Korner. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes, and/or my photographs, on any blogsite or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.
    

Some more photographs:

Beef - Mutton Dum Biryani

At the very onset let me say... You will not get beef in India so opt for Buff or Mutton.

This is a recipe I swear by! This biryani is a must-do for my family at every occasion that demands a celebration. Ever since this biryani was made at home, we have given up on biryanis from restaurants. Give this a try and I have a sneaky feeling you’ll message to say, you don’t ever plan to call in for biryani from a restaurant ever again. 😊 

Ingredients:

1 kilo boneless beef chunks (do NOT use lean meat) or 1½ kilo lamb/goat mutton on bone

750-800 grams dahi/yogurt, beaten smooth

2½ heaped tablespoons ginger-garlic paste

7 heaped tablespoons red Deghi mirch/chili powder (or Kashmiri Chili powder)

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1½ tablespoon coriander powder

Salt, to taste

2 one-inch sticks cinnamon

7 cloves

4 cardamoms

12 black peppercorns

1 bay leaf

4 medium onions, sliced

4-5 large potatoes, each cut into two or three pieces

Method for Beef/Mutton:

1.    Marinate the beef/mutton chunks in ginger-garlic paste, chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, salt, cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamoms, black peppercorns and bay leaf. Leave to marinate overnight in the fridge.

2.    Remove the beef/mutton chunks from the fridge in the morning and to it add the beaten yogurt, potatoes and onions. Marinate for an hour.

3.    Add all the marinated ingredients into a pressure cooker and pressure cook. Add ½ cup water and pressure cook the meat is cooked to 90% doneness.

4.    Do not open the cooker immediately. Allow the pressure to release by itself.

5.    Once the pressure releases, open the cooker and check the amount of gravy in the cooker. If there is too much gravy, simmer till the gravy reduces a wee bit. Do not reduce too much of the gravy because there should be quite enough gravy to ensure that the biryani is flavorsome and does not burn during the latter ‘dum’ process.

Ingredients for Rice:

3 measuring cups basmati rice (filled to the brim)

2 teaspoons shahjeera/caraway seeds

2 one-inch sticks cinnamon

7 cloves

4 cardamoms

12 black peppercorns

1 bay leaf

Salt, to taste

4 tablespoons oil

Method:

1.    Wash the rice and soak in clean water for twenty minutes. Drain.

2.    Take approximately 3.5 liters of water in a large vessel.

3.    Add caraway seeds, cinnamon, cloves, cardamoms, black peppercorns, bay leaf, salt and oil and bring the water to a boil.

4.    When the water comes to a boil, add the drained rice.

5.    Parboil the rice till cooked to 50% doneness.

6.    Retain one cup of rice water in a cup. Drain and discard the remaining water from the rice.

Extra Ingredients:

10 green chilies, slit or keep whole

3 tomatoes, sliced into roundels

½ bunch coriander leaves, chopped

½ bunch mint leaves, do not chop

7 onions, slice and fry crisp to golden brown

6 tablespoons ghee, heat-melt

5 tablespoons butter, heat and melt

3-4 large pinches of saffron

½ cup water (or milk)

Ingredients to seal the vessel:

2 cups wheat flour and water to bind the dough

OR

Double sheets of Aluminum Foil

Method:

1.    Knead the dough with the water to make a semi-stiff dough.

2.    Cover and leave aside.

3.    Alternately, double a sheet of aluminum foil and tightly wrap the lid and vessel to seal off the entire rim of the vessel.

Layering & Cooking the Biryani on ‘Dum’:

1.    Soak the saffron threads in half cup hot water/milk. Cover and allow to steep for 30 minutes.

2.    In a large thick-bottomed vessel, add all the cooked beef/mutton chucks from the cooker along with the gravy.

3.    Over the mutton, layer the tomato roundels, chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves, slit chilies and ¾ quantities of the crisp, fried onions.

4.    Carefully layer the par-boiled rice over the layered greens.

5.    Even pour one cup of the retained rice water over the layered rice.

6.    Evenly pour over the melted ghee and butter over the layered rice.

7.    Spoon the saffron and the saffron water/milk over the rice. 

8.    Sprinkle the remaining crisp, fried onions.

9.    Cover the vessel with a lid and seal the edges of the vessel and lid with the kneaded dough.

10. Put a griddle/tava on the high flame stove.

11. Once the griddle is hot, load the sealed vessel on it.

12. Keep on high flame for 20 minutes; then lower heat to minimum flame and allow it to cook for 50-55 minutes more. By this time, the beef/mutton and rice will all be beautifully cooked.

13. Turn off the stove. Carefully break open the sealed dough.

Dhungar (Smoking)

Ingredients:

Small aluminum or stainless vati (small bowl)

OR

Double a sheet of aluminum foil and make a small makeshift cup

A tiny piece of coal

1 teaspoon pure ghee/clarified butter

Method:

1.    Once you break open the wheat flour seal from the edges of the biryani vessel, carefully, with a spoon, push some rice to the side and make a small crater in the middle of the vessel, in the rice.

2.    Place the vati into the crater.

3.    Heat a tiny piece of coal on the stove and when it gets to a point wherein it begin to glow red, carefully place it into the vati that is placed in the rice crater.

4.    Quickly but carefully pour the pure ghee/clarified butter over the coal and immediately shut the lid over the biryani vessel. (Ishan Sadwelkar, heartfelt thanks for editing the video)

5.    Leave covered for 5 to 10 minutes.

6.    Open the lid after ten minutes and serve the Dum Biryani hot with Dahi Kachumber.

Dahi Kachumber: An Indian Salad…

A salad comprising of chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, chopped green chilies, chopped coriander leaves, mixed with smoothened yogurt, seasoned with salt and black pepper powder. Sliced wedges of limes are also, usually, plated with kachumber.

Chef Notes for Beef/Mutton:

1.    We usually choose to make biryani with beef (when I say beef, I mean buff) coz this hardcore meat eater throws a massive tantrum (yeah, I tend to do that – evil grin) with other meats. Also, I find beef more flavorsome than mutton!

2.    The same recipe also works with lamb or goat meat. I would advise, though, that you use meat-on-the-bone when using lamb or goat meat as that will give you a more flavorsome biryani.

3.    Please increase the quantity of chili powder, during margination, if you prefer a spicier biryani.

4.    I usually halve the large potatoes when using beef and quarter them when I use mutton. Reason being mutton cooks faster than beef. If you quarter the potatoes when using beef, they’re definitely going to disintegrate in the cooker.

5.    I use fatty mutton and beef (with extra chunks of fat) when I cook this recipe. If you plan to use lean meat, why make biryani, eh? *wicked grin*

6.    Ensure there is adequate gravy coz the ‘dum’ given to the biryani is a lengthy 65-75 minutes. You don’t want a burnt biryani base.

Chef Notes for Biryani Rice:

1.    I usually do not soak rice, but soaking does ensure longer grains of rice which is why I make the effort to soak the rice for this recipe.

2.    Please ensure the vessel you boil the rice in is large and has adequate quantity of water. This ensures the rice does not get sticky. Adequate water and a large vessel ensures the rice has enough place to roll around while being cooked.

3.    Remember, cook to 50% doneness only.

Chef Notes for Layering the Biryani & Dum Process:

1.    I chose to soak the saffron in milk. If you prefer water, please feel free to opt for that.

2.    I used no food colourings (red, orange or green) which is why the biryani you see, in the photographs, is merely one even colour (saffron yellow). I’m not averse to using food colours (in limit); I merely prefer the biryani to be one colour; plus, the aroma of saffron is mind-blowing.

3.    Please do not over fry the onions coz while they do not taste bitter, they do tend to look burnt and dark after the ‘dum’ process. I say this coz I do make this mistake sometimes *sheepish look* and would prefer you not make it.

4.    For those of you who are wondering what ‘Dum’ is. The process of covering a vessel with a tight lid, then sealing it with dough (or aluminum foil) around the edges and cooking on extremely low heat for a considerable amount of time is known as cooking on ‘Dum’. Ideally the vessel is sealed with dough. Lazy people (like me), opt for the foil method.

5.    Please do use a griddle/tava to ensure the bottom of the vessel does not receive direct flame and burn the meat within.

Chef Notes for Dhungar: 

1.    Dhungar is the method by which you give the dish a smoky aroma.

2.    I opted for a double sheet, aluminum makeshift cup/vati as I did not want to scrub an actual vati after the ‘Dhungar’ process. I’m guessing by now you have realized (and I confirm it) that while I do cook lots of food, I do take easier routes to simplify post-cooking workouts (read scrubbing and washing). Remember the tall foils surrounding my baked custards to avoid oven wall splatters? Well, that’s me!

3.    Do ensure the coal is really hot and has that beautiful red glow. It helps smoke the dish better.

4.    You may create a crater in the rice, as I did or, if you have standing room (for the vati) over the rice then simply place the vati over the rice. I did not have ‘vati-standing room’ hence the crater.

5.    You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.

Some more photographs:

An old pic of the same biryani made a few years ago

An old pic of the same biryani made a few years ago