Mandi Biryani
Mandi is a traditional dish originating from Hadhramaut, Yemen, consisting mainly of meat and rice with a special blend of spices. It’s even considered a staple dish in many regions. Traditionally, the meat is slow cooked in a tandoor which makes the meat extremely tender and delicious and served over aromatic rice. The meat used is usually young, and small pieces of meat are added to enhance the taste further. The Arabs from Yemen have been living in Hyderabad for over a century now, but the cuisine was not known to common people till a decade ago. Mandi is quickly gaining popularity in Hyderabad, it has become a routine dish saved for special occasions like weddings, it is almost certain that you’ll find this dish there. In Arab houses, traditionally, the meat is cooked in the tandoor, a special kind of oven in which a hole is dug on the ground and covered inside with clay. The meat is then boiled with whole spices until tender, and the spiced stock is then used to cook the Basmati rice at the bottom of the Tandoor, then the meat is suspended inside the Tandoor above the rice and without touching the charcoal. After that, the whole Tandoor is then closed with clay for up to 8 hours. Raisins, pine nuts, or peanuts can be added to the rice as to one’s taste.
Mandi was first introduced to Hyderabadis commercially in 2011 when Abdullah Masood Bashadi opened up a restaurant under the name of Mataam Al-Arabi in the Errakunta area. The Mandi quickly became a popular dish, people from all over the city were coming to taste this incredible dish, and within years, a number of Arabian restaurants were opened with their specialty being in serving Mandi. Apart from mutton, Mandi is now available with fish and chicken too. The way you sit in an Arabian Restaurant is quite different from a normal restaurant, there are special sections for eating mandi, here you sit on the floor and the mandi is severed in a huge plate which is put on a chowki, people sit in a circle surrounding the huge plate and eat with their bare hands. Usually, four people can eat one plate of mandi biryani, The Biryani is garnished with dry fruits.
The Mandi Biryani is a delicious dish, but even you can make this at home, it does not require a lot of time.
Let’s see how you can make Mutton Mandi Biryani: –
Ingredients
400 gm Rice
500 gm Mutton
Salt (As Needed)
1 & 1/2 TBSP Mandi Masala
6 TBSP Seasons Canola Oil
1 Medium Sized Onion
1 TSP Whole Cumin
1 TBSP Whole Hot Spices
2 Green Chilies
1 TBSP Garlic (Chopped)
1 TSP Red Chili Powder
1 TSP Dry Ginger Powder
1 TSP Coriander Powder
1 TSP Cumin Powder
2 & 1/2 Glasses Hot Water
1 TSP Turmeric Powder
1 TSP Butter
Ingredients for Mandi Masala
1 TSP Bay leaf powder
1 TSP Cloves powder
1 TSP Cardamom powder
1 TSP Black Cardamom powder
1 TSP Cinnamon powder
1 TSP Black Pepper powder
1 TSP Nutmeg powder
1 TSP Roasted Coriander powder
1 TSP Roasted Cumin powder
How to make Mandi Masala
Take all the spices (Bay leaf powder, Cloves powder, Cardamom powder, Black Cardamom powder, Cinnamon powder, Black Pepper powder, Nutmeg powder, Roasted Coriander powder, Roasted Cumin powder) and put them in a grinder and grind them well. The Mandi Masala is ready, keep it aside.
How to make Mandi Biryani
- Take a bowl and marinate the mutton with Salt, Mandi Masala, turmeric and Seasons Canola Oil. Mix the spices nicely and put it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Now take a cooking pot and Seasons Canola oil to it, let the oil heat and then add onions, cumin, whole hot spices, salt, and green chillies. Fry it till the onions turn a light brown.
- Now add garlic (chopped), marinated mutton, salt, red chilli powder, black pepper, dry ginger powder, coriander powder, and cumin powder.
- Now add hot water to the pan and let it cook for 30-40 minutes on low flame.
- After 40 minutes, take the mutton out and put it aside, now add rice to the pot and let it cook for a while.
- Now add the mutton back into the pot and let it cook for some time.
- Now place a piece of the foil in the middle of the rice and put ember and butter on it, cover the pot for a while.
- Take out the piece of foil, your dish is ready.
