The Eid-ul-Azha celebration is about to start; home cooks begin preparing for the feast well in advance. It’s not surprising—most meat-based dishes require extensive preparation and a variety of ingredients. Here are a couple of delicious recipes you can try this Eid.

Mutton Goli Biryani
Who doesn’t enjoy meatballs? This biryani brings together the rich aroma of spices and the savory goodness of deep-fried mutton meatballs. The meatballs are cooked separately, then layered with fragrant rice, saffron-infused milk, and crispy fried onions, before being sealed and slow-cooked to perfection. The cooking method is similar to traditional dum-style biryani.

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

2 cups minced mutton

2 tsp ginger-garlic paste

½ tsp cumin powder

½ tsp garam masala powder

1 tsp green chilli paste

Salt to taste

1 tsp black pepper powder

1 cup fried onions (browned)

Oil for deep frying

For the rice:

2 cups rice, soaked in water for 1 hour

4 green cardamoms

4 cloves

½ tsp black cumin

¼ tsp cinnamon powder

Salt to taste

1 pinch saffron soaked in 1 cup warm milk

2 tbsp ghee

Method

Combine minced mutton with ginger-garlic paste, black pepper, cumin, garam masala, green chili paste, 1 tbsp of fried onions, and salt. Form into small balls and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Deep-fry the meatballs—start with high heat, then reduce to low heat until fully cooked. Drain and set aside.

Drain the soaked rice. Heat ghee in a pan; add black cumin, cardamoms, cloves, and cinnamon. Add the rice and salt, and sauté for 2–3 minutes.

Pour in 2 cups of water, bring to a boil, then cover and cook on low heat for 8 minutes. Turn off the heat and keep the pan covered.

Divide both meatballs and rice into two portions. In a heavy-bottomed pot, layer half the meatballs, followed by half the rice. Top with half of the fried onions and half the saffron milk. Repeat the layers with the remaining meatballs and rice.

Pour the rest of the saffron milk and fried onions on top, and drizzle with a little ghee.

Seal the lid using flour dough and place the pot over a tawa (griddle) on low heat for about an hour.

Once cooked, remove from heat and serve hot.

Beef Kala Bhuna
Ingredients

For marination:

1 kg beef with bone, cut into medium pieces

4 onions, finely chopped

5 green chillies

2 tbsp ginger paste

1 tbsp garlic paste

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp roasted cumin powder

1 tsp powdered radhuni

3 bay leaves

2-inch cinnamon stick

6 green cardamoms

1 black cardamom

6 cloves

¼ tsp mace powder

1 star anise

2 dry red chillies

Salt to taste

3 tbsp mustard oil (for marination)

For the gravy:

5 onions, thinly sliced

200g plain yoghurt

1 tsp chilli powder

Salt to taste

250 ml mustard oil (for frying and cooking)

Method

Wash and pat dry the beef. In a large bowl, mix it with a portion of the chopped onions, green chillies, ginger-garlic paste, cumin powder, salt, and mustard oil. Add all the whole spices and blend well.

Cover and let the meat marinate for 3–4 hours (preferably in the fridge). Add roasted cumin powder before cooking.

Heat mustard oil in a large pan. Fry the remaining chopped onions and dry red chillies until crispy and golden. Remove and set aside.

Reduce the heat and add the marinated beef to the same oil. Fry on low heat for about 45 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the beaten yoghurt and cook for another 15 minutes, allowing the meat to darken in color.

Add the fried onions and mix well. Continue to cook for another 30 minutes, until the beef is tender but holds shape and the gravy thickens.

The dish is ready when the meat has a deep, blackened color and rich, semi-thick sauce.

Serve hot with plain rice, paratha, or biryani.