The word Donne comes from the plantain bark or betelnut tree bark cups that this traditional biryani is served in. These cups are used in temples and street food across South India. The intensity of spices and methi with meat might have originated from Tipu Sultan’s soldiers who created a protein-rich rice pulav with local influences or the Maratha warriors who would cook meals for the army on their long journeys into the hinterland. Even today, the military hotels, thus named after the military eating there, were famed for the donne biryani. In particular is the Shivaji Military Hotel in Bengaluru, which is among the oldest to have your portion of this spicy donne filled with hot steaming biryani. Here are two recipes from local food bloggers that followed the donne.
Mutton Donne Biryani
Biryani Masala
2 medium-sized onions, 6-8 green chillies, a fist full of mint and coriander, 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, 2-3 strands javitiri, 5 black peppercorns, 2 inch sticks cinnamon, 3 cloves, 3 cardamom pods, 2 tbsp oil, 1 tbsp ghee
Add to the mutton
1 to 2 tsps ghee
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 sprig curry leaves
1 tbsp kasuri methi
The marination
½ kilo lamb, 1 tsp chilli powder, ½ tsp turmeric powder, ½ cup yogurt, 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste and salt to taste. Add the above listed ingredients to the meat and marinate for 15 to 20 minutes or longer for more flavour.
Method
1 Heat a wok, add oil and ghee, the biryani masala ingredients, do not add mint and coriander leaves. Fry till onions turn transparent, add mint and coriander and fry ingredients well.
2 Allow fried ingredients to cool before grinding it to a smooth paste. Add ingredients to a blender, and grind to a smooth paste.
3 Add very little water to grind the masala paste.
Method to the donne biryani:
1 Heat two tsp oil in a pressure cooker, add marinated meat, fry for 10 minutes, add two to three cups water and salt. Pressure cook till meat is tender, for five to six whistles.
2 Once the mutton has cooked, separate the stock and meat, set aside.
3 Use two cups seeraga samba rice. Wash rice thrice and drain, and set aside.
4 Heat with two tbsp oil and two tbsp ghee in a pressure cooker. Add two cloves, half inch cinnamon, two cardamom and a bayleaf. Fry a bit.
5 Add masala paste and fry till oil surfaces. Add cooked meat to the masala and fry for a few minutes.
6 Add rice and fry for three to four seconds. Add one tbsp kasuri methi and fry more. Measure mutton stock and water. Add three cups of liquid for two cups rice. Mix well. Add salt to taste.
7 Add ½ lime juice, mix ingredients well. Bring to a boil, pressure cook for five minutes. Allow pressure to reduce before opening the cooker. Once the biryani is done, mix and serve hot in a donne with onion raita and boiled eggs.
Tips
The ratio for this mutton briyani is ½ kilo mutton to half kilo rice.
Liquid measure: To one cup rice add one and a half cup water. When using chicken instead of lamb, cook less.
— Recipe courtesy vidyascooking.blogspot.in
Vegetable Donne Biryani
Ingredients
1 cup (200 ml) Jeera rice, 2 potatoes, salt to taste, 1¾ cups water, 2 tbsp curd, a few drops lemon juice, ½ tsp biryani masala,
2 pinches kasuri methi
To grind
1 tbsp cooking oil, 1 onion, 4 green chillies (add according to preferred spice), 3 peppercorns, 1 inch cinnamon, 2 cloves, 1 cardamom, 2-inch piece ginger, 8 garlic cloves, ¾ cup mint and coriander leaves, a pinch turmeric powder
To saute
2 tbsp cooking oil, 1 tbsp ghee, 1 inch piece cinnamon, 2 cloves, 1 cardamom, 1 black stone flower, 1 onionl, finely chopped, ½ tsp ginger-garlic paste
Method
Heat a kadai with oil and saute all the ingredients. Grind into a smooth paste. Set aside.
The Donne biryani recipe
In a pressure cooker, add oil and ghee, cook. Saute whole spices, big onions till transparent. Add ginger-garlic paste and saute till the raw smell disappears. Add ground masala paste, saute for two to three minutes till the oil separates from the mixture. Add biryani masala powder (if needed), saute well for a few seconds.
Add required water, salt, curd and cubed potatoes. When the water comes to a boil, add rice, a few drops of lemon juice and kasuri methi. Mix well, and pressure cook for one whistle on low flame. Remove the lid after steam is released. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve hot with raita.
TIPS
Use only jeera rice for best taste. To increase the spiciness, add more green chillies while sauting the masala. Do not use red chillies
— Recipe courtesy http://www.chitrasfoodbook.com
