Madras Mutton Biriyani

Ingredients needed for the Gravy
3/4 kilo mutton
1 cup hot water
2" sticks Cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp cardamom
Salt to taste
1/2 cup oil
500 grams onions sliced fine
1 cup ghee
4 tsps ginger paste
4 tsps garlic paste
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp saunf powdered
250 grams tomatoes chopped
1 cup curds
Handful mint / pudhina leaves
handful coriander leaves
4 green chillies slit
1/4 cup cashewnuts
1/2 cup grated coconut ( optional )
lime juice as needed

Ingredients needed for preparing rice
1/2 kilo basmati rice
12 cups water
1/2 cup ghee
1/2 cup onions sliced fine
1/4 cup cashewnuts
1/4 cup kismis
ghee to taste / as needed

How to prepare Madras Mutton Biriyani?
First you have to prepare the Kuruma / gravy for the biriyani
Clean and wash mutton, cut into medium sized pieces. Keep aside.
Add hot water, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and the salt to taste to the mutton.
Cook till the mutton gets tender and a little gravy (about 1 cup of gravy) remains.
Heat oil and fry the onions till they are golden brown. Remove and keep aside.
Heat ghee in a fry pan, saute ginger and garlic paste till they start oozing out oil from the sides of the pan.
Add chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, saunf powder and saute till they blend well together.
Now add tomatoes and saute till they get soft and pulpy.
Add curds, chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves and the slit green chillies to the masala. stir well.
Now add the fried onions and the cooked mutton to the gravy. As it starts boiling, simmer and cover. cook for about 10 minutes.
Meabnwhile grind coconut and the cashewnuts together to a smooth paste.
Check for salt and add if needed. Add lime juice and mix well.

How to prepare the Rice for the Madras Mutton Biriyani?
Now preheat the oven to 325 degrees. clean, wash and soak the rice for 15 minutes.
Heat the 12 cups water and the salt  for the rice. Cook the rice till it is three fourths done, drain and keep aside.
Heat the remaining ghee, fry the sliced onions till golden brown, remove and keep aside.
In the same pan fry the cashew nuts and the kismis separately, drain and keep aside.
In a thick bottomed pan, apply ghee and then spread a layer of rice. Then spread a layer of the mutton gravy. repeat till the gravy gets over.
Spread the last layer of the rice as the top most layer. put a wet cloth on top of the rice  and cover.
Now put the pan in the preheated oven and bake for half an hour.
Just before you serve, garnish with the fried onions, cashew nuts and the kismis.