Name: Lamb and vegetable biryani
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 150 g (1 cup) fresh or frozen peas; ½ large head of cauliflower (300 g), cut into florets; 1 aubergine, cubed; 200 ml water; 320 g (1⅔ cups) white basmati rice, rinsed; 30 g (¼ cup) raisins; butter, for greasing; handful of coriander or mint leaves, plus extra for serving; ½ large leek, finely chopped; 750 g lamb (neck or shoulder) cut into 5 cm (2in) cubes; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1 tsp coriander seeds; 1 tsp black peppercorns; 1 tsp ground turmeric; 5 cm (2 in) piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped; 2 tsp garam masala; ¾ tsp sea salt; 3 tbsp ghee; seeds of 5 cardamom pods, ground; 1 bay leaf; 1 large cinnamon stick

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

East by West

By Jasmine Hemsley

Published 2017

About

A real biryani is the crème de la crème of culinary skill. It’s the lasagne of the Indian kitchen – everyone’s got their own style and everyone’s grandma makes the best one. Experience is necessary for learning how much to par-cook the rice, and then how long it needs in the oven to give you those lovely long strands. The trick is to achieve the perfect balance between chewy, bitty undercooked biryani and overcooked stodge.

This recipe avoids the stress while still giving you a biry