Mutton Yakhni Pulao


Yakhni is the Kashmiri word for mutton stock. So, this is really a mutton pilaf (or pulao) cooked in mutton stock. It’s very yummy and delicious. Though if you cook in a pure traditional way it tooks a lot of time. But in today’s jump start life we don’t have so much time. So I am sharing the most easy way to cook mutton yakhni pulao . It is a one pot recipe and a whole meal. I use green peas and little food color to make the dish look more attractive. It is said that India’s biggest showman of all time Mr. Raj Kapoor love Yakhni pulao and it was a must in their Diwali family brunch. You can make this recipe with chicken also following the same procedure. I am sure you too will love this delicious and super yummy mutton yakhni pulao.


Preparation time : 15 minutes
Cooking time : 1 to 1 ½  hour
Serves :  2 to 3

Ingredients        
1 kg mutton (washed and 
cut into small pieces)        
5 green cardamom pods
2 black cardamom pods        
5 cloves                        
12 black peppercorns     
1 star anise       
2 tsp coriander seeds         
1 tsp cumin seeds        
1 large bay leaf        
3 onions (finely chopped)
2 onions (finely sliced and fried for garnish)
3 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 piece of cinnamon        
5 tbsp oil        
2 cups Basmati rice (washed and soaked for 20 minutes then dried 
and fried in 1 tsp of ghee for 5 minutes)        
3 tbsp yogurt 
Salt to taste
hand full of  fried cashew 
hand full of green peas ( optional)
Oil for deep-frying the onions
2 tbsp of ghee / clarified butter
5 green chilly (optional)
 a pinch of food grade yellow  color ( optional)
½  tsp shahi garam masala powder 


Methods of Cooking :
 Tie the cinnamon, green and black cardamom pods, cloves, peppercorns, star anise, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and bay leaf in a soft muslin cloth and knot it into a bag. In a heavy-bottomed vessel, place the mutton along with the muslin bag, ginger-garlic paste, salt and eight cups of water. Let it simmer till the mutton is almost done. Discard the muslin bag and separate the mutton from the stock. In another heavy-bottomed pan, heat the oil and sauté the finely chopped onions. Once the onions turn golden, add mutton ,yogurt. Mix well. Now add rice, green peas, green chilly whole if using . Mix well. Now add 5 cups of mutton stock. After the first boil add ghee and pinch of color if using and shahi garam masala powder , cover the pan and let it simmer till the rice is done. Garnish the final dish with fried onions and fried cashew and serve it hot with salad , lemon wedge and raita on the side.




Happy Cooking!

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