Neeta Mehta's New Year dish

For those fond of non-vegetarian food, here is mutton biryani they can enjoy on the New Year dinner, courtesy Neeta Mehta! Mutton Biryani Serves 6 3 cups basmati rice, 1/2 kg mutton, 2 onions - sliced, 8-10 flakes garlic- chopped, 2" piece ginger- chopped, 1 tej patta (bay leaf), 4 laung (cloves), 5 saboot kali mirch (peppercorns), 1" stick dalchini , cinamon), 2 moti illachi (black cardamoms), 8 chhoti illaichi (green cardamoms), 1 tsp red chilli powder, 3 tsp salt, 1 tsp dhania powder, 1 tsp garam masla, 6 tbsp ghee or oil, 1/4 tsp orange colour, 1/2 tsp yellow colour, 2 tsp kewra water (flavouring), coarsely powder together & tie spices in a muslin cloth, 2 tsp saunf (aniseeds), 2 tsp saboot dhania (coriander seeds), 2 tsp jeera (cumin seeds) Method Wash rice and preferably soak for 20 minutes. Put mutton in a pressure cooker. Add 1 tsp salt, muslin spice bag, garlic, ginger, tej patta, laung, chhoti illaichi, moti illaichi and 6-1/2 cups of water. Pressure cook on high heat for 7-8 minutes and then on low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from fire and let the pressure drop by itself. Check that the mutton is tender. Put the mutton in a strainer and strain. Keep the stock aside. Heat oil in a kadhai. Add onion slices and fry till golden brown. Add mutton pieces, red chilli powder, dhania powder, garam masala, and salt. Fry for 5 minutes. Add the rice. Stir gently for 1-2 minutes. Add 6 cups of stock of the boiled mutton. Bring to a boil and cook it on low heat till the water gets absorbed and each grain of rice is separate. Sprinkle orange colour on one half of the rice and yellow on the top of the other half. Do not mix. On top of the colours sprinkle kewra water and keep it on very low heat for about 5-10 minutes. Serve after about 15 minutes.

Ingredients 3 cups milk 1/2 cup plain flour 1 tbsp. butter 2 tbsp. cheese grated salt to taste pepper to taste Method In a dry heavy sauce pan, dry roast the flour till light pinkish in colour. Remove and keep aside to cool. Melt butter in the pan, add half the milk. Mix the remaining milk in the cooled flour to form a smooth paste. When milk comes to a boil, add paste and stir continuously. Bring back to a boil.

Cook till the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon thickly. Sprinkle salt and fresh ground pepper and stir to mix well. Add grated cheese to the mixture. Use as required in individual recipe