Lamb Biryani

Summary

Nothing can be better than a big plateful of biryani.

This makes 8 servings. You can pre-cook the meat and store in the freezer, and prepare the rice when finishing.

Ingredients

Marinade

• 2 kg lamb shoulder
• 1 tbsp red chili powder
• 2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
• 1.5 tbsp biryani masala
• 3 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 cup yoghurt
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp oil
• 2 tsp salt

Fried Onions

• 750 g red onions
• 100 ml ghee
• a pinch of salt

Gravy

• Marinated lamb and fried onions from the previous steps.
• 5 green cardamoms
• 2 small pieces of cinnamon bark
• 5-6 cloves
• 2-3 bay leaves
• a small bunch of fresh mint leaves
• a small bunch of fresh coriander

Rice

• 4 cups basmati rice
• 6 bay leaves
• 6 star anise
• 4 tsp caraway seeds
• 2 tsp salt
• 12 green cardamoms
• 6 small pieces of cinnamon bark
• 20 cloves

Assembly

• 0.25 cup fresh mint leaves
• 0.5 cup fresh coriander
• a pinch of saffron
• the reserved half of fried onions
• cooked meat and 70% cooked rice from previous steps

Preparations

Marinade

• (Let the butcher) cut lamb into pieces.
• Mix all marinade ingredients except for lamb, mix well.
• Add lamb pieces, make sure the marinade is evenly coated.
• Marinate overnight in the fridge.

Fried Onions

• Clean and slice the onions.
• In a large, sturdy pot, heat up the ghee and add salt.
• Cook onions in ghee for 20-25 minutes until brown (but not black).
• Reserve half of the onion and ghee, and keep the other half in the pot.

Gravy

• Roughly chop the mint and coriander leaves.
• To the pot with fried onions, add all ingredients for gravy.
• Bring to a simmer on high heat, then turn down the heat and cook until lamb is tender, about 45 minutes.

Rice

• Wash rice until water runs clear, and soak in water for 30 minutes.
• In a large pot, add roughly 4 liters of water.
• Add spices and turn on heat until water starts to boil.
• Add soaked rice, cook for 2-3 minutes until it’s about 70% done.
• Drain the water, and optionally pick out the large spice pieces.

Assembly

• Add hot water or milk to the saffron strands to extract its colour.
• Roughly chop the mint leaves and coriander.
• To the meat pot, add some of the fried onions, mint leaves and coriander.
• Gently layer the rice on top. Make sure the rice stays fluffy and not pressed down.
• Add the rest of the fried onions, mint leaves, and coriander.
• Drizzle the saffron water/milk on top.
• Close the lid tightly, and cook on low flame for 20 minutes.
• Let it rest for 15 minutes.
• Serve with raita and more sliced onions.