Lamb Biryani Recipe

Marinate the lamb

In a large bowl combine yogurt, ginger paste, garlic paste, turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, and 1 tsp salt. Add the lamb pieces and turn to coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

Brown the onions

Heat 2 tbs oil or ghee in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add thinly sliced onions and cook, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown and caramelized (about 12–18 minutes). Remove half the onions and reserve for layering and garnish (this yields the fried onions/birista).

Cook the lamb

To the same pot with the remaining onions, add bay leaves, 3 green cardamom pods, 3 cloves, half the peppercorns, and the cinnamon stick. Saute 1 minute until aromatic. Add the marinated lamb and cook over medium-high heat for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the exterior is seared. Add 1/2 cup water, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer gently until lamb is tender (about 45–60 minutes depending on cut). If lamb is very tough, simmer up to 75 minutes. Stir in chopped cilantro, mint, slit green chilies and 1/2 tsp salt near the end of cooking and adjust seasoning. The goal is a thick, fairly dry curry — not watery — so drain any excess liquid before assembly; reserve about 1/4–1/3 cup sauce with the meat.

Use the whole spices twice: some are sautéed with the onions before adding lamb (as above). When parboiling rice, add the remaining whole spices to the water (bay leaf, remaining cardamom pods, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, star anise) to infuse the grains with fragrance.

Soak and parboil the rice

Rinse basmati rice until water runs clear. Soak in cold water for 20–30 minutes. Bring 6 cups water to a rolling boil in a large pot with 1.5 tsp salt and the remaining whole spices. Add drained rice and cook uncovered, stirring gently, until grains are about 70–80% cooked (when a grain's core shows a tiny white dot when bitten), about 6–8 minutes depending on rice age. Drain rice in a fine sieve and discard the spice solids.

Prepare saffron and aromatics

Warm the milk and steep saffron threads in it for 5–10 minutes to release color. Mix melted ghee with the saffron milk and lemon juice.

Layer the biryani (dum assembly)

Use a heavy ovenproof pot or the pot used for the lamb. Spread half the parboiled rice in an even layer over the lamb. Sprinkle half the reserved fried onions, half the chopped cilantro and mint. Drizzle half the saffron-ghee-milk mixture over the rice. Spoon the remaining rice on top to form a second layer. Finish with remaining fried onions, herbs and remaining saffron-ghee-milk. Dot 1–2 tbs melted ghee on top.

Steam (dum) cook

Seal the pot: cover with a tight-fitting lid; for extra seal, cover the lid edge with a strip of dough or a kitchen towel and then place lid. Cook on very low heat (use a heat diffuser if you have one) for 25–30 minutes so flavors marry and rice finishes cooking through. Alternatively, preheat oven to 160°C (325°F) and bake the sealed pot for 25–30 minutes.

Rest and finish

Turn off heat and let the biryani rest sealed for 10 minutes. Remove lid, gently fluff rice from the edges inward to mix meat and rice layers without breaking grains. Spoon biryani onto a large serving platter, ensuring pieces of lamb and fried onions are evenly distributed.

While biryani rests, make the raita by whisking yogurt until smooth. Fold in grated cucumber, roasted cumin powder, salt and chopped cilantro. Chill briefly and serve alongside hot biryani.