Lamb Biryani

Ingredients

• 12 Cashew nuts
• ½ tbsp Khus khus
• ½ tbsp Cumin seeds
• 3 sliced thinly Onions
• 2 tsp Ginger garlic paste
• 4 whole Garlic
• Leaves Mint
• Leaves Cilantro
• ½ tsp dissolved in ½ cup warm milk Saffron
• 2 tbsp Ghee
• 2 Cups Basmati rice
• ½ cup Full fat yogurt
• 1 tbsp Cumin Seeds
• ½ Bay leaf
• 1 thin piece Cinnamon
• 3 Cloves
• 2 Cardamom
• 1 lb Lamb
• 1 tsp Red Chilli powder
• 1 tbsp Biryani masala

Quantities are the original recipe’s. The cost is our own estimate — typical own-brand supermarket prices for these quantities, divided by 4 servings. TheMealDB does not state how many a dish serves, so 4 is our assumption, not theirs. Treat it as “about this much a head”, not a shopping bill.

Method

1. Blend the cashew nuts, khus khus and cumin seeds with a little water to make a smooth paste; set aside.
2. Deep-fry the sliced onions in batches until pale gold, then drain on kitchen paper — they will crisp further as they cool. Fry the cashew nuts in the same oil until golden and set aside with the onions.
3. Rinse the basmati rice and leave it to soak in water for twenty minutes.
4. In a wide pan, warm some oil and cook a portion of the sliced onions with the ground paste, garlic and ginger garlic paste for a minute, then stir in the tomatoes and cook until softened but still holding their shape.
5. Add the red chilli powder, biryani masala, mint and coriander leaves and stir through, then take the pan off the heat before stirring in the yoghurt so it does not split.
6. Return the pan to the heat, add the lamb, salt and half a cup of water, cover and cook over medium-low heat for 1 hour, or pressure-cook for 6 whistles, until the lamb is tender; if liquid remains, uncover and let it cook off.
7. Meanwhile bring a large pan of water (three times the volume of the rice) to a rolling boil, add the soaked rice, salt and cumin seeds, and boil for exactly 7 minutes, until the rice is about 80% cooked, then drain.
8. Spread the cooked lamb in an even layer in an ovenproof dish, top with the drained rice, and scatter over the fried onions, ghee, mint, coriander and the saffron milk.
9. Cover tightly and bake at 350f for 15 minutes, or until the rice is fully cooked but not mushy; alternatively cook covered on the hob over medium heat for 12 minutes, then on the lowest heat for 5 minutes.
10. Fluff the layers together gently and serve hot.

These steps were written by StreetOwl from the original recipe, in British English, with every oven temperature and cooking time checked against the source. They are not the original author’s words. If anything reads oddly, the original is linked below and it wins.