Kofta Biryani

Wash the rice. Soak it in warm water for 30 minutes. Cook the rice till almost done. Drain remaining water (if any) and keep aside. Put the minced lamb/ beef/ chicken, 2 of the chopped onions, 2 tbsps. garlic paste, 1 tbsp ginger paste, 2 tbsps. garam masala, tomato ketchup and coriander leaves in a large bowl and mix well.

Form the mixture into equal sized balls and keep on a plate.
Heat oil and add chopped onions. Fry till they are light brown then add the ginger and garlic pastes. Fry for a minute. Add all the spices - coriander, cumin, red chili powder, garam masala, turmeric - and fry for 2-3 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and mix well. Fry the masala till the oil begins to separate from it. Add 1 cup of warm water to the masala and MP yogurt and season with salt to taste. When it starts to boil, gently add the meatballs now. Do not stir for at least the next 5 minutes.

Stir gently so as not to break the meatballs. Cook uncovered till the meatballs are done. There should not be more than 1 to 1 1/2 cups of gravy left at the end of this stage, so dry it as required.

Soak the saffron strands in 2-3 tbsp of warm milk. Take a large, deep baking dish/ ovenproof dish (it MUST have its own cover) and grease lightly with cooking oil. Layer the rice and Koftas as follows: rice - Koftas - rice. End with a layer of rice.

Pour the saffron infused milk all over the top of the last layer of rice. Garnish with the crispy fried onions, chopped coriander leaves. Cover the dish and seal tightly. Bake in a hot oven for 30 minutes. Serve hot with a raita and green salad.