sharing my mom's biryani recipe (part 3)

Step 4 - There are some things you keep ready in advance, like 2 finely chopped tomatoes, a bunch of coriander leaves, and half lemon. Now add them all to the the cooker. And stir them well. In the figure of eight..? Yes, try. The tomatoes will release a lot of water. Keep stirring well to mash the tomatoes completely. Again when all of the fluid is gone, you'll know when to go the next step.

Step 5 - A cup of yogurt, well stirred in fine consistency. Add it and stir for a while. Beware: too much of it and it'll turn into a curry and not a biryani.

Step 6 - Finding a potato along with mutton in a biryani is pure joy at our home. For the potato to taste fine, this is when you add a fully peeled potato (totally optional, no way affects the biryani) on top of the entire curry that's prepared and shut the lid of the cooker and let it cook well for almost 25 mins. Now this varies cooker to cooker and timing hones with the experience. Ideally 25 mins - this is good. Make sure you leave this is at low to medium flame. If the cooker whistles a lot in the end of 25 mins, slow the flame down. Let the mutton cook well. Whistles are not beneficial. Post 25 to 30 mins of slow to medium flame, close the flame. Leave it. At the end of it the ideal one is something which it not very fluid, thick in consistency. A little more fluid is also okay. No worries.