Mughlai Dum Biryani

Ingredients
1 kg mutton
1 cup yogurt
3/4 cup ghee/Oil
2 large onions (1.5 cups)
5-6 garlic cloves
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
8-10 green cardamoms (choti elaichi)
4 black cardamoms (badi elaichi)
9-10 cloves (laung)
1 tsp black pepper corns (kali mirch)
1 tsp red chili powder
2 green chili
handful of coriander leaves
1.5 cups of warm water
For Rice
1 Kg long grain Basmati rice
1 tbsp caraway seeds (shahi jeera)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1 star anise
2 bay leaves
1 inch cinnamon stick (daalchini)
1 tsp lemon juice
2 green chili
Salt (1 tsp more than required)
For layering rice and meat
1/2 tsp saffron strands
1/2 cup milk
pinch of saffron food colour
2 tbsp ghee
handful of coriander leaves
handful of mint leaves
Instructions
Wash and soak long grain basmati rice.
Thinly slice onions, wash and drain all the water.
In a pan or kadhai, add ghee and fry the onions till golden brown. Take out the onions and keep them aside. We will use them later.
In the same pan, add mutton and mix yogurt, peeled garlic, green and black cardamoms, ginger garlic paste, cloves, red chili powder and 1.5 cups of warm water. Close the lid and let it simmer on medium heat.
Keep checking and stirring from time to time. Add more water if required. When mutton is almost done add 3/4 brown onions, coriander leaves and green chili. Let it simmer for 5 more minutes.
Mutton should be around 90% done. It should get done in 40-45 minutes.
To cook rice, boil water in a pan and add caraway seeds, cumin seeds, bay leave, cinnamon stick and star anise.
When water starts boiling add rice, lemon juice, salt and slit green chili. Let rice cook around 70%. Be very careful with rice; you do not want to over cook them.
Now that rice is done, we start to layer rice and meat and put on dum.
In a broad pan or kadhai, apply some ghee on bottom. Place 1/2 of the rice, add some coriander and mint leaves and cooked meat with the masala on top of it. Place the layer of rest of the rice on top of the meat. Sprinkle some coriander leaves, mint leaves and rest of the brown onions.
Sprinkle the saffron soaked milk and saffron food colour. You can also add rose water if you like, i have not used it here.
Add ghee/oil by the sides of the kadhai and on top of the rice.
Close the lid and let it be on full flame for 3-4 minutes. When it starts to heat up, put the kadhai on top of a heavy pan ( i use tawa) and cook for 15-20 minutes on low flame.
Let it cool down completely. Biryani is ready, serve with raita or salad.