Kolkata style Mutton Biryani is one of the myriad varieties of biryani prepared in India. Known earlier as the Calcutta Biryani recipe, it is a very famous biryani preparation and stands right along the world-famous Hyderabadi and Awadhi versions when it comes to taste. The preparation of this delicately spiced and fragrant Kolkata mutton biryani became popular after Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Awadh was exiled from Lucknow to the city of Kolkata by the British, and his bawarchis and khansamas introduced this biryani to the city.
If you’d like to replicate the best tasting Kolkata Biryani recipe in your kitchen, follow our detailed but easy step-by-step instructions.
Kolkata Biryani or Kolkata style Mutton Biryani is a delicately flavoured mutton biryani with an unusual addition of potatoes. This addition of potatoes is unique to the Kolkata biryani recipe and is not commonly found in any other type of biryani. It is a fragrant preparation which is not spicy but is aromatic and flavourful.
Though the place of origin of biryani is a subject of heated debate among biryani connoisseurs, biryani was popularized in court of the Nizams of Hyderabad and the Mughal rulers. The Kolkata or Calcutta Biryani is a descendant of the Lucknow style of Biryani. It came into existence when Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Awadh, was exiled to Metiabruz, a suburb of Kolkata in 1856. The Nawab was stripped of his grandiose lifestyle by the British but to continue some of the ‘nawabi’ traditions, his cooks or khansamas carried on cooking biryani on a tightened budget with an innovative mind. They started adding potatoes, a novel ingredient introduced to India by the Portuguese to increase the volume of the biryani along with eggs. Potatoes also absorbed the flavours of the meat and spices and thus became an inseparable part of the Kolkata biryani as it is now known.
The best Kolkata biryani recipe is often prepared during weddings and festivities such as Anand Mela during Durga Puja where the women of the neighbourhood make their famous dishes and sell them at nominal rates in a pandal to mark the beginning of Durga Puja.
Most houses have their own Kolkata mutton biryani recipe, each a variation from the other. Most eateries across Kolkata also serve the mutton biryani and there are favourites as the residents of the city are passionate about mutton preparations and this biryani in particular.
Making our Kolkata biryani recipe requires six steps: i.e. marinating and cooking mutton, preparing the biryani moshla, frying potatoes, cooking the rice, boiling the eggs, and finally, the biryani and placing it on dum.
To make Kolkata Biryani you need to prepare Biryani Moshla or Kolkata style biryani masala, a fragrant spice mix that will provide the most aromatic flavour to your biryani. Our Biryani Moshla is made of lightly roasted cloves, green and black cardamom, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, nutmeg (jaiphal), mace (javitri), fennel seeds or saunf, and cinnamon. These spices are ground to make the spice mix. You can make this several days ahead to get a head start on the recipe. You will not need the entire quantity Biryani Moshla made in this recipe. So, the rest can be stored in an airtight container (in a cool dark place) for 30 to 60 days. The next time you cook with our Kolkata Biryani recipe, you will have biryani masala ready for use.
To make a good Kolkata Mutton Biryani, you need to marinate the mutton in a paste of yogurt, ginger, garlic, green chillies, onion, spiced with red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt, and our biryani moshla. If you marinate the mutton a night ahead of the actual cooking day, it results in a more flavourful biryani. If, on the other hand, you don’t have the luxury of time, we insist you still marinate the mutton for at least eight hours before making the biryani.
The birista or browned onions for our Kolkata mutton biryani can be made a day ahead or a couple of hours ahead of making the biryani for a seamless assembly of ingredients in the handi, degchi, or any other cooking pot you might be using. Ensure you do not overcook the birista. It should just be cooked just a tad more after reaching the golden-brown stage. If browned further, the onions will lose their sweetness and turn bitter, thus rendering the biryani bitter as well.
The rice needs to be semi-cooked (about 75% done) with potli or khada masala which adds flavour to each rice grain. Do not overcook or fully cook the rice as it will cook further when you give the dish dum along with the mutton and other ingredients.
Using a heavy bottomed pan, handi, or degchi for biryani is a must as it prevents the ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the pan during the process of dum. Remember, biryani is cooked slowly for a long duration to allow the aromas to permeate the entire dish and for all the flavours to come together.
Our Kolkata mutton biryani recipe is topped with boiled eggs as is the tradition, and we suggest you try it with the eggs. However, if you are not an egg lover, then you can possibly skip this step.
There are many elements that go into the making of a good Kolkata Style Mutton Biryani. We suggest you review our recipe ingredients below in detail before cooking to ensure you are stocked up with all that is needed. Each element has its distinct contribution to the taste of the biryani and it is best not to skip any of the ingredients or steps.
Serve the Kolkata Mutton Biryani on its own by cutting through the layers. If you wish you could serve it along with chicken chops and freshly sliced onions on the side. The dish does not need an additional garnish.
Please also keep a lookout for our Kolkata biryani recipe video that we will be placing on this page soon.
Learn how to make the best Kolkata Mutton Biryani masala at home with easy cooking techniques from Yummefy.
Or find all our Rice Recipes right here!
You can also delve into our article on Traditional Indian Cooking Techniques if you have an interest in learning about Indian cuisine.