Chatkharay Dar Qeema Masoor Dal Biryani Recipe

Qeema Masoor Dal Biryani is one of the most loved authentic and traditional Pakistani recipes cooked in layers of fragrant rice and minced mutton (Qeema) masala mixed with Brown Lentils or Masoor Dal loaded with a tangy delicious flavor mostly from the whole spices.

I am a big time biryani lover, mostly chicken biryani and mutton biryani, but ever since I tried this Qeema Masoor Dal Biryani with my unique spin on the spices I have fallen in love with this version of the biryani. Give this mouth-watering qeema masoor dal biryani recipe a try on your next family lunch or dinner and get ready for compliments. I say this because of of experience, trust me when i say people are going to love version of the Qeema Masoor Dal Biryani.

I have used ground mutton in this recipe although you can use ground beef also, it’s just a matter of personal preference or what is readily available in your kitchen.

This recipe is fairly easy to cook and does not require any special ingredients that you already don’t have in your kitchen. I have come with this unique mix of spices which makes this flavor packed Qeema Masoor Dal Biryani very tangy and aromatic.

How to make Qeema Masoor Dal Biryani?

We start of by cooking the qeema masala with brown lentils or masoor dal. For this the first step is to fry the sliced onions along with cumin seed or zeera to a beautiful golden brown color. Fried onions are a very important ingredient for this recipe. Make sure to fry the sliced onions on medium to low flame so they don’t end up too crispy or even burnt.

Then comes the step which will make this Keema Masoor Dal Biryani truly finger-licking delicious, adding the unique mix of spices which includes turmeric powder (haldi) , red chili powder, crushed red chili, coriander powder, garam masala, salt and mutton masala. You can substitute mutton masala with beef masala if you are using ground beef instead of ground mutton. Once you cook the spices to a thick paste then add the ground mutton (qeema) mixed with tomato puree.

After about 5 minutes of cooking the ground mutton (qeema) in the spices, add the brown lentil or masoor dal. Make sure the lentils are boiled. Add some lemon juice and cook for a couple of minutes and keep the qeema masala aside to cool.
The next step is to boil the rice.

How to cook the perfect white rice ?

Probably one of the easiest classic recipes in the world is to boil white rice but to get perfectly boiled aromatic white rice you need to see how this white rice was traditionally cooked for several generations which includes rinsing and soaking the rice before cooking

1-Rinse the rice

To avoid the rice from sticking to one another and forming clumps, it is important to rinse the rice before cooking which will remove the excess starch and chalky powder. Try to repeat the rinsing process at least 3 times to get rid all the excess starch and powder.

2-Soak the rice

After rinsing, you need to soak the rice in water for at least 30-45 minutes. You can soak it for an hour or two if you have time. Soaking the rice before cooking helps in digestion and helps your body in absorbing the nutrients. If you really don’t have the time, soak at least for 15 minutes which should be better than no soaking at all anyways.

3-Seasoning the rice

This is the critical step will add the flavor to your rice making your Qeema Masoor Dal Biryani irresistibly aromatic. For this you need to add cooking oil, cumin seed, salt, fresh coriander leaves, fresh mint leaves, sliced green chili, bay leaf, cloves, whole black peppers, cardamoms, cinnamon stick and some vinegar to the water before adding the soaked rice. You will know the importance of this seasoning once the aroma from the rice fills your kitchen.

4-Ratio of Water to Rice for the perfect qeema masoor dal biryani

Another important factor in getting perfectly cooked white rice every time is the ratio of rice to water. The basic ratio is 2 cups of water to 1 cup rice although this really depends on the type of rice, the flame intensity, the size of the bowl, cooking in a covered pot or not. The general rule according to my experience is 1 cup of rice to 1 cup of water for short grain rice and 2 cups water for long grain white rice. You can easily, double and even triple the size of this Qeema Masoor Dal Biryani recipe, just keep in mind the water to rice ratio 2:1 (2 cups water to 1 cup rice). To double the recipe, use 4 cups of water and 2 cups of rice. Yes, I was always this good in math 🙂

5-Let it Simmer

To make it very easy to understand simmer basically means to keep the rice cooking just below boiling point. One you’ve added seasoning and the rice to the water, bring the water to a boil, you need to quickly reduce the heat and keep the rice and water at a simmer (below boiling point). Let it sit for 5 minutes. You will need to increase this time if you are cooking larger portions. You can also check if the rice the cooked perfectly by touching and pressing a couple of grains with your fingers. They should feel tender fluffy.

Drain the excess water from the rice and get ready for final parts where all this effort comes together to make the perfect Qeema Masoor Dal Biryani.

Add alternate layers of cooked rice and the cooked ground mutton in a large pot and give it a good mix. To add flavor, add some lemon juice and sliced fried onions to the mix.

Qeema Masoor Dal Biryani doesn’t look like a biryani if it doesn’t have that color. For this mix 1 TBSP of food colour in 1/4 cup of milk and add it to the biryani. The final step is the “dum” which basically is to cover and cook the biryani for another 5 minutes on a very low flame.

INGREDIENTS

for qeema

1/2 Kg Ground Mutton (Qeema)
1/2 Cup Cooking Oil
1 TBSP Cumin Seed (Zeera)
2 Medium Sliced Onion
3 TBSP Water
2 TBSP Ginger Garlic Paste
1 TSP Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
1/2 TBSP Red Chili Powder
1 TBSP Crushed Red Chili
1 TBSP Coriander Powder
1 TSP Garam Masala
1 & 1/2 TSP Salt
1 TBSP Mutton Masala
3 Chopped Green Chili
1 Cup Tomato Puree
1/2 Cup Yoghurt
1/2 Cup Boiled Whole Masoor Dal
3 TBSP Lemon Juice
1 TBSP Sliced Fried Onions

for Rice

1/2 Kg Soaked Rice
1 Litre Water
2 TBSP Cooking Oil
1 TBSP Cumin Seed (Zeera)
1/2 TBSP Salt
1/2 Cup Coriander (Dhania)
1/2 Cup Mint (Podina)
5 Sliced Green Chili
1 Bay Leaf (Kari Patta)
6 Cloves (Laung)
10 Whole Black Peppers
2 Cardamoms (Elaichi)
1 Cinnamon Stick (Dar Chini)
1 TBSP Vinegar (Sirka)
1 TBSP Lemon Juice
1 TBSP Sliced Fried Onions
1 TBSP Food Colour
1/4 Cup Milk

DIRECTIONS

In a Pan Fry 2 sliced onions in 1/4 cup cooking oil and 1 TBSP cumin seed to golden brown and add 3 TBSP water, 2 TBSP ginger garlic paste, 1 TSP turmeric powder, 1/2 TBSP red chili powder, 1 TBSP crushed red chili, 1 TBSP coriander powder, 1 TSP garam masala, 1 and half TSP salt, 1 TBSP mutton masala and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add 1/2 Kg ground mutton and mix well then add 3 chopped green chili, 1 cup tomato puree and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup yoghurt then cover and cook 2 minutes and then add 1/2 cup boiled masoor dal and give it a good mix.
Finally add 3 TBSP lemon juice, mix and keep it aside.
Boil 1/2 Kg soaked rice in 1 litre water mixed with 2 TBSP cooking oil, 1 TBSP cumin seed, 1/2 TBSP salt, 1/2 cup coriander leaves, 1/2 cup mint leaves, 5 sliced green chilis, 1 bay leaf, 6 cloves, 10 whole black peppers, 2 cardamoms, 1 cinnamon stick and 1 TBSP vinegar.
Once the rice is boiled, drain the water and add alternate layers of rice and the cooked ground mutton in a large pot and give it a good mix. Add 1 TBSP of lemon juice and sprinkle 1 TBSP of sliced fried onions.
Mix 1 TBSP of food colour in 1/4 cup of milk and add it to the pot to give it a beautiful orange colour. Cover and cook it for another 5 minutes on a very low flame and enjoy this delicious Qeema Masoor Dal Biryani.

Chatkharay Dar Qeema Masoor Dal Biryani Recipe