Mutton Yakhni Pulao - Simple, Flavourful

This Mutton Yakhni Pulao is fragrant with whole spices, the beautiful taste of Basmati and tender pieces of mutton. This is pure, elegant cooking in terms of flavours and what's more - it's pretty quick to put together, which makes it perfect for weekdays as well!

I love Kashmiri food - its simplicity and their ability to pack it with flavour. This Mutton Yakhni Pulao isn't authentic Kashmiri but just inspired by some of the flavours.

Yakhni - What does it mean

Yakhni simply refers to soup or broth or in the case of this mutton yakhni pulao - stock made from pressure cooking mutton or lamb with aromatics and whole spices. Pressure cooking releases all the flavours FAST, cooks the mutton about 70% of the way and creates the most flavourful stock. This stock becomes the base of this yakhni pulao.

How to make Mutton Yakhni Pulao

Start with getting all the ingredients. This recipe does require you to source a few ingredients (mainly whole spices) that you may not normally have in your kitchen but trust me, every spice plays a role.

The process to make the yakhni is fairly simple

1. Bouquet Garni all the whole spices and aromatics. This ensures that you get all the flavour without having to pick all of the small spices off the mutton and yakhni
2. Pressure cook for 20 minutes on low. This cooks the mutton to about 60-70% which is what we want
3. Strain the yakhni or the stock and reserve it, setting aside the mutton as well. They'll both play a role later!

This creates the base of our recipe. That all powerful stock or yakhni which will flavour our pulao. Let's make the yakhni pulao next.

1. Saute jeera (cumin), whole spices and chillies in ghee (don't switch this up to oil please) to help them bloom and release their flavour
2. Brown sliced onions. Keep stirring occasionally for more even colour
3. Cook ginger garlic paste and spice powders, sauteeing till the raw smell goes away
4. Dry roast the mutton in the onion mixture for 2-3 minutes till it starts browning slightly along the edges
5. Add curd or yogurt and cook it stirring continuously till you can't see any white specks of curd anymore
6. Add basmati rice that's washed, soaked and drained, salt and the yakhni (stock) that we had reserved earlier and Pressure Cook for 12 minutes

The whole magic comes from the spices. In terms of cooking, the process is quite hands off in parts.

Rice for Yakhni Pulao

I like using basmati which is also whats used prominently in Kashmiri cooking. Use aged basmati rice that's labelled 'basmati' rather than 'long grain rice' which is not true basmati. True basmati has a beautiful aroma, and ageing makes the rice more tasty and gives you grains that remain separate while cooking.

Best cut of Mutton/Lamb

Look for bone-in shoulder cut which has some fat and remains tender as the pulao cooks. The cooking time may seem short to some but if the mutton you use is of good quality, this cooking time is perfect.

This pulao surprises everyone with its flavours which are simple but robust. The mutton is so tender, you only need one hand. Because we use yakhni, the rice has flavour in every bite. And in spite of pressure cooking, each grain is separate and not sticky. Don't skimp on the ghee. This is a celebration!

Serve this with raita. This doesn't need much more!

Watch the Video

Mutton Yakhni Pulao

Flavourful, elegant mutton yakhni pulao is so easy that you can whip it up for dinner, especially if you make it in a Pressure cooker. Fragrant rice, tender pieces of meat, this is fit for a celebration.

5 from 7 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Kashmiri, North Indian, Pakistani

Diet: Halal

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 643kcal

Author: Richa

Ingredients

For the Bouquet Garni

• ▢ 1 large Onion cut into large chunks
• ▢ 1 inch Ginger cut into chunks
• ▢ 8 Cloves Garlic
• ▢ 1 Bayleaf
• ▢ 2 Green Cardamom
• ▢ 1 Black Cardamom
• ▢ 1 Teaspoon Black Peppercorns
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon Saunf
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon Coriander Seeds
• ▢ 1.5 inch Cinnamon Stick
• ▢ 1 Star Anise
• ▢ 4-5 Cloves
• ▢ 1 Mace
• ▢ 8-10 Saffron Strands

Yakhni

• ▢ 500 grams Mutton
• ▢ 4 Cups Water
• ▢ 1 Teaspoon Salt

For the Pulao

• ▢ 450 Grams Basmati Rice approx 2 cups, washed and soaked for 30 minutes
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons Ghee
• ▢ 1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• ▢ 4-5 Cloves
• ▢ ½ Teaspoon Peppercorns
• ▢ 2 Green Cardamom
• ▢ 1 Black Cardamom
• ▢ 2-3 Green Chillies slit
• ▢ 1 inch Cinnamon
• ▢ 1 Bayleaf
• ▢ 2 Onions sliced
• ▢ Pinch of Hing asafoetida
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon Ginger Garlic Paste
• ▢ 1 Teaspoon Fennel Powder
• ▢ ½ Teaspoon Jeera Powder
• ▢ ½ Cup Curd
• ▢ 1 ¼ Teaspoons Salt

Instructions

For the Bouquet Garni

• Prep the bouquet garni by adding all the ingredients into a muslin or a cheesecloth and tying them up together. Keep aside.

For Mutton

• Add mutton, bouquet garni, salt and water to a pressure cooker. Cook on high and after the first whistle, pressure cook on low for 20 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally
• Remove the bouquet garni with tongs. Drain the remaining mutton and stock, reserving the mutton and stock (yakhni) separately. Squeeze out all the juices from the bouquet garni into the stock.

For the Pulao

• Add ghee to a pressure cooker on medium high and allow it to heat up. Once hot, add cumin, cloves, peppercorn, cardamom, green chillies, cinnamon and bay leaf. Saute for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
• Add sliced onions and fry on medium heat until golden brown, 2-4 minutes. Add ginger garlic paste, hing, fennel powder and jeera powder. Cook for 3-4 minutes on low heat, stirring frequently.
• Add mutton and dry roast for 2-3 minutes. Add curd and cook stirring continuously for 3-4 minutes.
• Add rice, salt and measure 3 ¼ cups of reserved stock (yakhni). Mix to combine. Pressure cook for 12 minutes on low. Let the pressure release naturally and serve hot.

Video

Notes

1. Use aged basmati rice that's labelled 'basmati' rather than 'long grain rice' which is not true basmati. True basmati has a beautiful aroma, and ageing makes the rice more tasty and gives you grains that remain separate while cooking.
2. Meat cut: Look for bone-in shoulder cut which has some fat and remains tender as the pulao cooks. The cooking time may seem short to some but if the mutton you use is of good quality, this cooking time is perfect.
3. Serve this with raita. 

Nutrition

Calories: 643kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 997mg | Potassium: 494mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 22IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 126mg | Iron: 3mg

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