5. Heat three fourth of the ghee/oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add the garnish portion of the sliced onions and fry, till golden brown and crisp. Sprinkle some sugar over the onions to speed up the crisping.

6. This should take about 10 minutes. Remove the onions and fry the cashew nuts on medium heat till it turns brown on all sides. Drain and remove.

7. Add the raisins now and stir till they plump up. Remove onto paper towels. This ghee/oil is used for flavoring the rice so save it.

8. Heat up the remaining oil and add the rest of the sliced onions and sauté it till it becomes translucent.

9. Add the marinated mutton, the poppy seed mixture, the biryani masala and the coriander, mint and curry leaves and mix thoroughly.

10. Keep it covered and cook on medium heat for an hour, checking frequently till the oil starts to separate and the meat gets almost cooked but still has a bite left. If the mutton normally requires a long cooking time, you can pressure cook it for just one whistle and then simmer on slow heat to concentrate the gravy. Do not add water at all. Check taste and add more salt or yogurt, pepper etc if needed.

11. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Heat 3 tablespoons of the remaining onion ghee/oil and add the whole spices- cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and bay leaves. Sauté for a second and add the drained rice. Stir the rice till it turns opaque and add 6 cups water (three fourth of the quantity required for ghee rice).

12. Cover and cook on slow heat the rice along with all spices and salt, till all the water is absorbed. This would take about 5-8 minutes.

13. In an ovenproof dish, spread half of the mutton masala and place half of rice over it. Sprinkle some lemon juice to prevent the rice from sticking. Spread the remaining masala and top it with rice followed by lemon juice.

14. Pour 2 tablespoons of ghee/oil on top of it and sprinkle some roasted onion, nuts and raisins. Close it with a layer of aluminum foil and then lid and put it in the oven for 25 - 35 minutes. Remove and let rest for another 5-10 minutes before opening.

In the Mumbai… all over India! Recommended by master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, Mumbai's best biryani is served at the humble new Hyderabad House located in Andheri. The owners run a bunch of eateries in Hyderabad as well. Drink…Don't Drive Ask a chef what you should drink with your choice Biryani and pat comes the reply: "Beer". It's the standard for all Indian rice dishes (experts say the fizz helps you down the heavy meal-though Coke and Pepsi work just as well, somehow they just don't seem to fit).