Lamb Biryani

THIS IS A COMPLETE, ‘BOWL ONLY’-STYLE SUPPER. MAKING BIRYANI IS TIME-CONSUMING BUT THE END RESULT – THE TEXTURE AND WONDERFUL FLAVOURS AND AROMAS – WILL MAKE IT WELL WORTH IT. ALTERNATIVELY, PREPARE ONLY THE FRAGRANT, LAMB MASALA THE DAY BEFORE, AND LAYER WITH COOKED RICE ONCE IT’S READY TO SERVE.

SERVES 4–5 | PREPARATION TIME: 3–4 HOURS | COOKING TIME: 1 HOUR

FRESH

1½ onions

6 garlic cloves

4cm piece ginger

2 green chillies

100g tinned chopped tomatoes

1kg boneless lamb, cut into cubes

1 quantity simple plain rice

SPICES

4 green cardamom pods, slightly cracked

2 black cardamom pods, slightly cracked

6 cloves

4 bay leaves

1½ teaspoons cumin seeds

4cm piece cassia or cinnamon stick

2½ teaspoons garam masala

large pinch of saffron threads, soaked in 50ml warm milk

PANTRY/LARDER

1 tablespoon desiccated coconut

3 tablespoons ghee or oil

2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

GARNISH

Crispy Ginger, Onion and Garlic

1 teaspoon melted ghee

1. Blitz together the onions, garlic, ginger, chillies, tomatoes and desiccated coconut in a blender until they form a smooth paste.

2. In a large saucepan with a lid, heat the ghee or oil over a low–medium heat, then add all the whole spices and fry for 20 seconds, or until golden.

3. Add the lamb and coconut paste, stir until everything is coated, then cover with the lid and cook for 25 minutes over a low heat. Uncover and cook for a further 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

4. Once the oil has separated, the sauce has thickened and the lamb is cooked and tender, add the garam masala and salt. Stir and cook for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat.

5. Next, make the Simple Plain Rice according to the recipe on page, then drain.

6. Immediately assemble the biryani. Spread a large spoonful of rice over the base of a pan with a lid. Next, spread a layer of cooked lamb and alternate with the rice and lamb until you finish with a layer of rice.

7. Lastly, drizzle the saffron milk all over the layered biryani, cover and seal with foil. Place the lid on top and cook over a very low heat for 10 minutes. Garnish with Crispy Ginger, Onion and Garlic and a drizzle of ghee.

NOTE: Heat the lamb thoroughly, before layering with the rice. Reduce the Step 7 cooking time by 1 minute.