Mutton Biryani - East African Style

Eid ul Fitr Lunch. Eid Mubarak to everyone, I hope you had a great day.
In response to Sunita's request, this is too is my entry for Sunita's Think Spice Event.


Ingredients

Mutton Masala
2 lb mutton on the bone cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 cup yogurt
2 inches ginger; grated
6 cloves garlic; minced
5 chillies minced
1/2 tspn saffron
8 large tomatoes (blanched, peeled and liquidised)
12 small potatoes (extra oil to fry)
2 tablespn oil
2 sticks cinamon,
4 pods cardomom,
5 cloves; 1/2 spn cumin seeds
8 medium onions; minced fine in a food processor
2 tspn coriander/cumin powder
1/2 tspn tumeric
1 tspn garam masala
salt to taste
Rice
3 cups basmati rice; washed well; and soaked in water for 30 mins
1 tbspn oil
1 tspn cumin
1/2 tspn saffron soaked in a little warm water
salt to taste

Method
1. Marinate the mutton in yogurt, garlic, ginger, green chillis, half the tomatoes and saffron overnight if possible; minimum of 2 hours.
2. Deep fry the potatoes, these don't have to be cooked through, as long as the surface is sealed.
3. Pressure cook the mutton, or boil until tender.
3. Heat the oil in a pan, add the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves; cumin seeds, cook for about 3 minutes, the cloves and cardamom should have puffed up
4. Add the onions and fry until they are a rich golden brown, this is the most important for biryani masala. You can buy prefried onions if you want - available in Indian shops.
5. Add the other half of tomatoes, cook for about 5 minutes, add the tumeric, cumin/coriander powders.
6. Add the cooked mutton and the potatoes, mix, making sure that meat and potatoes are coated with the tomato/onion sauce. Cook for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile cook the rice, add 1 and ½ cups of water per cup of rice for 15 minutes,
Heat some oil in a frying pan, add the cumin, pour the oil and cumin mixture on the rice
Pour the saffron and water mixture on the rice

This is an East African style Biryani, the meat curry and rice are kept separate. Serve the rice on a large platter with the meat sauce place on the top.