Kerala Style Beef/Mutton Biriyani

Kerala Style Beef/Mutton Biriyani, also called Nadan Erachi/Aadu Biriyani, has strong roots in Malabar. It is often prepared for weddings, Eid, Christmas, and family gatherings. Over time, it became a popular dish across Kerala homes.

This version is made for home cooking. It may have more steps than a regular rice dish, but with clear instructions, it is simple to follow.

The recipe below includes everything you need: ingredients, step-by-step method, cooking tips, variations, storage guide, and serving suggestions.

What is Kerala Style Beef/Mutton Biriyani?

Kerala Style Beef/Mutton Biriyani is a layered rice dish made with marinated beef or mutton, spices, and herbs. It is cooked through steps like marination, masala preparation, rice layering, dum steaming, and resting to seal in flavour.

Biriyani in India has two main influences. One came from the Mughals in the North, and the other from Arab traders who brought it to the Malabar coast in the South. Across the country, you’ll find many varieties like Ambur, Bhatkali, and Hyderabadi, each with its own style.

In Kerala, biriyani varies by region. The two most common types are Malabar style and South Kerala style. Within Malabar, Thalassery, Kozhikode, and Kannur biriyanis are popular. 

While ingredients like rice, meat, and spices are often the same, the cooking methods differ. Some versions include or skip elements like coconut milk or curd, depending on regional preferences.

Another popular biriyani made using the Kerala method is the Kerala Style Chicken Biriyani Recipe.

Why You'll Love This Recipe?

What makes this biriyani stand out is the mix of textures and bold flavor. You get fluffy rice, tender meat, crispy onions, cashew nuts, and bursts of sweetness from fried raisins.

Every bite brings a surprise in taste and texture. The aroma of ghee and whole spices, along with the look of perfectly layered rice, makes it feel festive.

Recipe Ingredients

1. Beef/Mutton: Use bone-in beef/mutton with fat and marrow. This gives the biriyani a deep, rich flavour. Marrow infuses the rice beautifully. Avoid thigh or lean meat. Go for cuts from the stomach or back. Do not use small curry pieces. Slightly bigger cuts are better for layering and serving.
2. Rice: Kaima or jeerakasala rice is ideal for Kerala-style biriyani. It is small, aromatic, and cooks fast. This rice is unique to Kerala and gives an authentic taste. You can use basmati if needed.

If you're on a no-rice or low-carb diet, try our Spicy Beef Kappa Biriyani. It swaps rice with cooked kappa (tapioca) but keeps all the bold Kerala flavours.

3. Spices:Kerala spices are key to the flavour. Use both whole and powdered forms.Powdered spices include chilli powder, turmeric powder, pepper powder, and coriander powder. Whole spices used in this recipe are fennel seeds, cinnamon, star anise (thakolam), cloves, cardamom, and bay leaves.
4. Other ingredients:You will also need ghee or coconut oil, sliced onions, tomato, green chillies  mint leaves, coriander leaves, raisins, cashew nuts, and more. All ingredients, exact measurements, and nutritional facts are given in the full recipe card.

Variations to Try

You can make this biriyani with beef, mutton, or chicken using the same method. 

Fish Biriyani is another option to try if you enjoy the same Kerala-style base with a lighter seafood twist. You can check out our Nadan Meen Biriyani Recipe for the full method.

If you are a vegetarian, skip the meat and use soya chunks, potato, carrot, beans, and green peas.If you don’t take dairy, skip curd or coconut milk.It still tastes great.

You can also try a one-pot biriyani or cooker biriyani for a quicker version.

How To Make Kerala-Style Beef/Mutton  (Step-by-Step Guide)

1. Marinate cleaned beef/mutton with ingredients listed under marination - chilly powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, aniseed powder and salt. Keep it aside for 30 minutes.
2. Soak rice in water for 1 hr.
3. Add 2 tablespoon water and cook the meat in pressure cooker until meat is done. Usually it takes around 2-3 whistles.
4. Meanwhile, you can start masala preparation. Grind the green chillies, ginger, and garlic.

5. Slice 4 onions. Heat 2 tablespoon ghee in a wok. Sauté these onions with salt until golden brown.
6. Add grounded green chilli mix and sauté it well. Add sliced tomatoes to it and sauté until tomatoes are done.
7. Mix the curd and cook for 2 -3 minutes.
8. Sauté the grated coconut until golden brown. Grind the coconut and ground cashew with some water and make a good paste. Alternatively, I sometimes grind the cashew and fried coconut into fine powder, mix it with water, and make a good paste. Add coconut cashew mix and then garam masala. Sauté it well.

9. Add cooked beef/mutton with the water (gravy) . Adjust salt. Water should be just enough to mix well with rice. Cook it for around 5 - 10 minutes.
10. For rice preparation, Drain the water from the rice. Heat ghee in the pan/ cooker. Add turmeric powder, cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamom seeds, curry leaves, cloves, star anise, and aniseeds.
11. Once it is sautéed well, add rice. Sauté it till the rice is crispy. Add 4 - 4 ½ water to it with enough salt. Cover and cook until rice is done. Depending on the rice, you may need to add extra water as well. It would approximately take 15 minutes. Refer to the notes on tips to cook rice.
12. For garnish - Thinly slice onions and deep-fry it in ghee. Sprinkle salt and a bit of sugar. Roast cashews and raisins.

13. ** Never miss this step. Layer a pan / cooker with alternating layers of rice and the beef /mutton masala. Extract lemon juice. Add coriander leaves, mint leaves, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon ghee, fried onions, cashews, and raisins at every layer.
14. Heat the layered biriyani for about 20 minutes. It is a good option to bake it as well. Rice and biriyani masala gets blended well with this. You need not add water since biriyani masala has good gravy content.

If you love beef and Kerala style but prefer milder, coconut milk-based flavors, try Kerala Beef Curry with potatoes and coconut milk.

Tips And Tricks

1. Marinate the meat well : For beef or mutton, marinate for at least 30 minutes. Longer marination brings out deeper flavour.
   
2. Fry onions with ghee : While frying onions, add a bit of ghee. It gives extra flavour and helps them crisp better. You can fry a larger batch and freeze for later.
   
3. Flavour the rice water: For extra flavour in the rice, add crushed green chilli, garlic, and ginger to the boiling water before cooking.
   
4. Cook rice the right way : Cook rice only 80 to 90 percent before layering. This keeps it from turning mushy in dum.
   As soon as water disappears from the surface, turn off the heat. Keep the lid closed for 10 to 15 minutes to finish cooking in steam. Then fluff gently to avoid sticky rice at the bottom.
   
5. Let the meat rest : After pressure cooking beef or mutton, let it rest for 10 minutes before opening the lid. This helps the meat settle and stay tender.

Serving Suggestions

Nadan Erachi/Aadu Biriyani is best served with raita, a spoon of pickle, and crispy pappadam. Many homes also add thick coconut chutney or fresh coriander chutney on the side. 

Pair the biriyani with Spicy Nadan Erachi Fry or Nadan Kurumulaku Aadu Fry Recipe. That again adds on like a festival on a plate. 

Serve the biriyani in a bowl, then gently transfer it to a plate in a dome shape. This helps with clean plating and better presentation. Keep the raita, pickle, and sides neatly arranged next to it.

After biriyani, a hot glass of lime black tea helps balance the richness and refreshes the palate.

Storage Instructions

Kerala Style Beef/Mutton Biriyani stays fresh for 2 to 3 days when stored in a clean, dry, airtight container in the fridge.

Freezing the full biriyani is not recommended. However, you can freeze just the masala for up to 1 to 2 months. Defrost it fully before use.

For best results, reheat the biriyani by steaming. This keeps the texture, moisture, and flavour intact better than microwaving.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

More Kerala Style Biriyani Recipes To Try

I’d love to hear your thoughts if you have tried this! Please leave a ⭐️ rating and a comment below. Don’t forget to share your photos on Instagram and tag @a_little_bit_of_spice.

Kerala Style Beef/Mutton Biriyani

Jane Jojo

An Indian one pot meal. Beef/Mutton cooked in spicy masala gravy and layeredwith cooked rice. A very tasty and delicious biriyani. Eventhough it takes time, definitely worth the effort!

3.67 from 27 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs

Course Main Course

Cuisine kerala

Servings 3 serving

Calories 359 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 Kilogram beef/mutton

Marination

• ▢ 1 Tablespoon Chilly Powder
• ▢ 1 Teaspoons turmeric Powder
• ▢ 1 Teaspoon garam masala
• ▢ 1 Teaspoon fennel Powder
• ▢ salt

Masala

• ▢ 2 Tablespoons ghee
• ▢ 12 green chilly
• ▢ 2 ½ Tablespoons ginger ( Crushed )
• ▢ 2 ½ Tablespoons garlic ( Crushed )
• ▢ 4 Tablespoons grated coconut
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons cashew (Ground)
• ▢ 4 onion (Medium)
• ▢ 3 tomato
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons curd

Rice

• ▢ 4 Tablespoons ghee
• ▢ 3 ½ Cups Biriyani Rice / Basmati Rice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon fennel seed ( Perinjeerakam)
• ▢ 5 cinnamon
• ▢ 3 Star Anise ( Thakolam )
• ▢ 7 Cloves
• ▢ 5 Cardamom Seeds
• ▢ 3 Bay Leaf
• ▢ curry leaves

Garnish

• ▢ ghee
• ▢ 2 onion (Medium)
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons Cashew Nuts
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon Raisins

Layering

• ▢ 1 lime
• ▢ coriander leaves
• ▢ mint leaves

Instructions

 

• Marinate cleaned beef/mutton with ingredients listed under marination - chilly powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, aniseed powder, and salt. Keep it aside for 30 minutes.
• Soak rice in water for 1 hr.
• Add 2 tablespoon water and cook the meat in pressure cooker until meat is done. Usually it takes around 2-3 whistles.
• Meanwhile, you can start masala preparation. Grind the green chillies, ginger and garlic.
• Slice 4 onions. Heat 2 tablespoon ghee in a wok. Saute these onions with salt until golden brown.
• Add grounded green chilli mix and saute it well.Add sliced tomatoes to it and saute until tomatoes are done.
• Mix the curd and cook for 2 -3 minutes.
• Saute the grated coconut until golden brown. Grind the coconut and ground cashew with some water and make it a good paste. Alternatively, I sometimes ground the cashew and fried coconut into fine powder, mix it with  water and make it a good paste. Add coconut cashew mix and then garam masala. Saute it well.
• Add cooked beef/mutton with the water (gravy) . Adjust salt. Water should be just enough to mix well with rice. Cook it for around 5 - 10 minutes.
• For rice preparation - Drain the water from the rice. Heat ghee in the pan/ cooker. Add turmeric powder, cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamom seeds, curry leaves, cloves, star anise and aniseeds.
• Once it is sauted well, add rice. Saute it till rice is crispy.Add 4 - 4 ½ water to it with enough salt. Cover and cook until rice is done. Depending on the rice, you may need to add extra water as well. It would approximately take 15 minutes. Refer notes on tips to cook rice.
• For garnish - Thinly slice onions and deep fry it in ghee. Sprinkle salt and bit sugar. Roast cashews and raisins.
• ** Never miss this step. Layer a pan / cooker with alternating layers of rice and the beef /mutton masala. Extract lemon juice. Add coriander leaves, mint leaves, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon ghee, fried onions, cashews and raisins at every layer.
• Heat the layered biriyani for about 20 minutes. It is a good option to bake it as well. Rice and biriyani masala gets blended well with this. You need not add water since biriyani masala has good gravy content.

Notes

1. Marinate the meat well: For beef or mutton, marinate for at least 30 minutes. Longer marination brings out deeper flavour.
2. Fry onions with ghee: While frying onions, add a bit of ghee. It gives extra flavour and helps them crisp better. You can fry a larger batch and freeze it for later.
3. Flavour the rice water: For extra flavour in the rice, add crushed green chilli, garlic, and ginger to the boiling water before cooking.
4. Cook rice the right way: Cook rice only 80 to 90 percent before layering. This keeps it from turning mushy in dum.
   As soon as water disappears from the surface, turn off the heat. Keep the lid closed for 10 to 15 minutes to finish cooking in steam. Then fluff gently to avoid sticky rice at the bottom.
5. Let the meat rest: After pressure cooking beef or mutton, let it rest for 10 minutes before opening the lid. This helps the meat settle and stay tender.

Nutrition

Serving: 657gCalories: 359kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 6gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 58mgSodium: 50mgPotassium: 614mgFiber: 8gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 1119IUVitamin C: 27mgCalcium: 118mgIron: 3mg

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