Mutton Yakhni Pulao or Pilaf

Yakhni pulao is a classic North Indian delicacy which is served as ‘one pot meal’. It is the most popular combo of rice and meat after ‘Biryani’. Biryani is spicy and rich combo of rice and meat whereas Yakhni Pilaf is strongly flavored but mild in taste.

While ‘Yakhni’ means the aromatic meat flavored stock and ‘pulao’ or ‘pilaf’ means flavored rice. In this recipe the meat and rice are cooked together in yakhni stock. It is best served with raita.

Here is Mutton Yakhni Pulao or Pilaf Recipe.

Preparation Time: 15 mins

Cooking Time: 1hr 30 mins

Total Time: 1hr 45 mins

Yield: 4 serving

Ingredients for Marination:

Meat : 500g

Ginger paste : 1 tbsp

Garlic paste : 1 tbsp

Cinnamon powder : 1 tsp

Clove powder : ½ tsp

Cardamom powder : ½ tsp

Black pepper powder : 1 tsp

Red chili powder : 1 tsp

Salt : 1 tsp

Preparation:

Wash and clean mutton and make bite size pieces.

Marinade the mutton with all the ingredients and refrigerate overnight or min 3-4 hrs.

Ingredients for Yakhni:

Marinated mutton

Bay leaf : 1

Cinnamon stick : 1”

Cloves : 3-4

Black cardamom : 1

Salt to taste

Water : 4 cups

Preparation:

Take out the mutton pieces from the refrigerator and bring it to room temperature.

Pour water in a pressure cooker and bring it to boil.

Add all the ingredients in the pressure cooker including mutton and cook with whistle until mutton is almost done. Mine took 10 whistles.

It will be easier to handle if you take a small piece of muslin or any other fine cotton cloth with all the spices and make a bag or ‘potli’ of it and drop it into the pressure cooker. Later you can just throw it away.

Take out mutton pieces and discard the spices. Keep the spiced water separately. This flavored water is known as ‘yakhni’. It will be needed later to cook the rice.

Other Ingredients:

Basmati Rice : 1 ½ cup

Fresh yogurt : ¼ cup, well beaten

Red Onion : 2, large

Shah jeera/ cumin seeds : 1 tsp

Coriander seeds : 1 tsp

Green cardamom powder : ½ tsp

Cinnamon powder : ½ tsp

Salt to taste

Sugar to balance (optional)

Oil : 3 tbsp

Preparation and assembling:

Wash and soak rice in water for 30 mins. After 30 mins drain the water and keep the rice aside.

Heat oil in a wok and add chopped onion.

Fry them golden brown in color. Transfer half of the onion into a separate large pan.

Continue frying the onion in the wok until they are well caramelized, brown and crisp. Remove fried onion on paper towel to absorb excess oil from onion.

Now turn on the heat and place the pan with golden brown onion on medium flame. Add shah jeera/ cumin seeds, coriander seeds, green cardamom powder, cinnamon powder and mix well.

Add beaten yogurt into the pan.

Fry until oil floats on the top.

It’s time to add mutton pieces with sugar and salt. Fry on high flame until liquid evaporates completely.

Now move to the assembling part. You can proceed with two ways, a) Gas Oven option and b) Microwave option.

a) Gas Oven option:

Add rice and yakhni straight into the pan and mix well. Cover and cook until rice is done.

b) Microwave option

Take a microwave proof pan/bowl which is large enough to cook the rice.

Make the base layer with uncooked rice.

Add a layer of cooked mutton.

Then another layer of rice and so on until you finish. Remember to make base and top level always with rice.

Now pour the yakhni over it.

Seal with cling film or heavy duty foil. I used regular cover.

And cook on High (900W) for 15 mins. and keep on standby for 5-7 mins.

Mutton Yakhni Pulao is ready to be served. Remove the film/cover right before serving.

Garnish with crisp fried onion. Serve always hot with raita and salad. If you wish you can serve with any curry of your choice.