Much before Eid-ul-Azha actually arrives, home chefs everywhere start preparing for the food-centred activities as soon as they can. It is no surprise though, as most meat dishes need elaborate prep, and also quite a few ingredients. Here are some you can try this Eid for yourself.

MUTTON GOLI BIRYANI

Who doesn't love meatballs? This biryani is an aromatic burst of flavours with deep fried meatballs cooked in spices, separately from the rice. It is then sealed and cooked together in layers of meatballs and rice, topped with milk-saffron mixture and browned onions. The biryani preparation is like any other biryani that we make.

Ingredients

For meatballs ­–

2 cups minced mutton

2 tsp ginger-garlic paste

½ tsp cumin powder

½ tsp garam masala powder

1 tsp green chilli paste

Salt to taste

1 tsp black pepper powder

1 cup browned fried onion

Oil for deep frying

For rice –

2 cups rice, cleaned and soaked in water for an hour

4 green cardamoms

4 cloves

½ tsp black cumin

¼ tsp cinnamon powder

Salt to taste

1 pinch saffron, soaked in 1 cup of milk

2 tbsp ghee

Method

Mix together the meat, ginger-garlic paste, black pepper powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder, green chilli paste, 1 tablespoon of fried onion and salt. Form into small balls and refrigerate for an hour. Deep fry the meat balls over high heat first, then over lower heat, till cooked through. Drain and keep aside. Drain the rice. Heat ghee and add black cumin, cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon. Then add rice and salt. Fry for 2-3 minutes. Add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and let the rice cook, for 8 minutes. Shut off the heat, leaving the pan on the stove. Divide the rice and meatballs into half each. Layer half the meatballs in a pan. Now cover this with half of the rice, half of the fried onion, sprinkle half of the saffron flavoured milk over it, then the rest of the meatballs and finally the other half of the rice. Sprinkle rest of the saffron milk mixture and fried onions over the rice. Sprinkle some ghee. Seal the pan with flour dough and place the whole thing over griddle, which is over low heat, for an hour. When it is done remove from heat. Serve hot.

BEEF KALA BHUNA

Ingredients

1 kg beef with bone, cut into medium pieces

For marination –

4 onions, finely chopped

5 green chillies

2 tbsp ginger paste

1 tbsp garlic paste

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp roasted cumin powder

1 tsp radhuni, powdered

3 bay leaves

2-inch cinnamon stick

6 green cardamoms

1 black cardamom

6 cloves

¼ tsp mace powder

1 star anise

2 dry red chillies

Salt to taste

For gravy –

5 onions, thinly sliced

200g plain yoghurt

1 tsp chilli powder

Salt to taste

250ml mustard oil (For frying and cooking)

Method

Wash and pat dry the meat. In a bowl, take the meat along with a small portion of the chopped onion, chopped green chillies, ginger-garlic paste, cumin powder, salt and 3 tablespoons of oil. Mix everything well. Add all the whole spices and mix. Cover the bowl with a lid and rest them for 3-4 hours (preferably in a refrigerator). Now add roasted cumin powder and mix well. Heat oil in a pan and fry the rest of the chopped onion and dry red chillies until brown and crisp. Strain the onion and chillies from oil and keep aside. Keep the flame on low. Add marinated meat to the same oil. Cook for around 45 minutes on low heat with frequent stirring. This step is for frying the meat. Add beaten plain curd and fry for a further 15 minutes. The meat will start blackening by then. Now add the fried onion, and mix. Fry till the meat softens yet has the texture and shape. This will take 30 minutes more. The meat will release sufficient moisture. Cook till the meat turns blackish and the gravy has a semi-thick consistency. Serve kala bhuna with rice, paratha or biryani.

Food and Styling: RBR