Recipe · Dhaka (Bangladesh) · verified 2026-09-01
Dhaka Kacchi Mutton Biryani
The legendary street biryani of Old Dhaka — raw marinated mutton and potatoes layered with basmati, sealed in a clay pot and slow-steamed for hours until the meat melts and the rice drinks up every spice.
At a glance
- Heat
- Medium-spicy, intense
- Style
- Dhaka / Bangladeshi
- Total
- ~3 h 30 min (marinate overnight)
- Method
- Kacchi — raw mutton, very long dum
- Serves
- 8
- Protein
- Mutton / beef (goat traditional)
- Signature
- Poppy-seed + cashew marinade, long sealed steam, potatoes
What makes it distinctive
Dhaka's kachchi biryani is one of the most crave-able biryanis in the world — the one travel vloggers line up for in Old Dhaka. It's the most time-intensive kacchi: raw mutton and potatoes layered with basmati, sealed in a clay pot, and steamed for 3+ hours. The marinade is the signature — a poppy-seed + cashew paste with ginger-garlic, yogurt, cumin, coriander and a little ketchup (a Dhaka trick) — that turns the meat impossibly tender. The rice is barely parboiled (1–2 min), so it absorbs all the rich, spicy juices rising from below for the long steam.
Ingredients
Mutton marinade (the signature)
- 1.5 kg mutton or beef, large pieces (goat is traditional)
- ¼ cup white poppy seeds
- ¼ cup cashews (soaked, ground with the poppy seeds)
- 2 blades mace, ½ tsp nutmeg
- 1 Tbsp ginger paste + 1 Tbsp garlic paste
- 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 Tbsp red chili powder
- 1 Tbsp cumin powder + 1 Tbsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ½ cup yogurt
- 1 Tbsp ketchup (the Dhaka trick — deepens colour + a hint of sweet)
- ¼ cup fried onions (birista)
- 1 Tbsp oil
- (Optional) 200 g liver, for depth
Rice
- 1 kg basmati (or chinigura/short-grain), washed + soaked 30 min
- Whole spices: 2 cinnamon sticks, 6–8 green cardamom, 8 cloves, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp caraway (shah jeera)
- ½–1 tsp turmeric, ½ tsp red chili powder
- Salt
- 1 cup milk + a pinch of saffron
The potatoes + garnish
- 3–4 potatoes, quartered, lightly fried in ghee
- 12 pitted prunes (aloo bukhara)
- 10–12 almonds + ¼ cup raisins
- 1 Tbsp kewra water
- A few drops rose water
Method
- Grind the marinade paste: blend the soaked cashews, poppy seeds and mace into a paste. This paste is the signature of Dhaka kacchi.
- Marinate overnight: combine mutton with the cashew-poppy paste, ginger + garlic pastes, cumin, coriander, chili, black pepper, nutmeg, garam masala, yogurt, ketchup, fried onions, salt and oil. Coat well; refrigerate overnight.
- Fry the potatoes: rub with a little salt/turmeric and fry in ghee until golden.
- Barely parboil the rice: boil water with the whole spices + salt; add the rice for 1–2 min only (just until the outer layer softens); drain, keeping some gruel.
- Layer in a heavy clay/oven-safe pot: marinated mutton (+ liver if using) → fried potatoes, prunes, almonds + raisins → the rice → saffron milk, kewra, rose, more gruel mixed with a little ghee over the top.
- Seal + long dum: seal the rim with flour dough or foil + a heavy lid. Cook on low 3 hours, then reduce to the lowest heat for a further hour, until the rice is soft and the meat falls apart. Do not open the lid.
- Rest 10–15 min off-heat, then mix gently from the sides.
- Serve with a side salad and a squeeze of lemon.
Pro tips
- The long steam is the whole point — 3+ hours is what makes the mutton fall apart and the rice rich. Rushing it is the #1 failure.
- The ketchup sounds odd but is a genuine Dhaka-biryani-house trick; it adds depth and a little colour. Don't skip it.
- Poppy-seed + cashew in the marinade is what sets Dhaka apart from other kacchi.
Troubleshooting
- Chewy meat — the steam wasn't long enough, or you didn't parboil the rice enough to give the pot liquid. Keep the gruel.
- Mushy top, raw bottom — heat too uneven; use a tawa under the pot and stay on the lowest flame.
- Dry pot — add a little more gruel/milk before sealing.
Variations
- Chicken: swap for bone-in chicken; reduce the steam to ~2 h.
- Beef: the most common modern version; the long steam suits beef well.
- No ketchup: use a little tomato puree instead for a less sweet depth.
FAQ
- How long does Dhaka kacchi take?
- 3+ hours of sealed low heat. It's the most time-consuming kacchi in this collection — the reward is falling-apart mutton.
- What's special about the marinade?
- A poppy-seed + cashew paste with ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander and a touch of ketchup — that's the Dhaka signature.
- Why is the rice barely parboiled?
- It only gets 1–2 min of boiling, so it absorbs all the rich juices rising through the long 3-hour steam.