Minced lamb pilau

Name: Minced lamb pilau
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 2 star anise; 2 bay leaves; 5 ml/1 tsp salt, or to taste; 2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered, to garnish; 10 ml/2 tbsp hot milk; pinch of saffron threads, pounded; 4 cloves; 5 cardamom pods, bruised; 2.5 cm/1 in piece of cinnamon stick; 25 g/1 oz/2 tbsp ghee or unsalted butter; 1 large onion, finely sliced; 45 ml/3 tbsp sunflower oil or olive oil; 50 g/2 oz/¼ cup natural (plain) yogurt; 500 g/1¼ lb lean minced (ground) lamb; 250 g/9 oz/1¼ cups basmati rice, washed and soaked for 20 minutes; 75 ml/3fl oz/5 tbsp single (light) cream; 2.5 ml/½ tsp garam masala; 2 fresh green chillies, finely chopped; 5 ml/1 tsp ground cumin; 7.5 ml/1½ tsp ground coriander; 2.5 ml/½ tsp ground turmeric; 2.5 ml/½ tsp salt, or to taste; 10 ml/2 tsp ginger purée; 10 ml/2 tsp garlic purée

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Complete Indian Regional Cookbook

By Mridula Baljekar

Published 2017

About

This quick and easy pilau, Tahari, is traditionally made with minced mutton or lamb, but beef can also be used to ring the changes without altering the complex combination of spices. Colourful, nutritious and packed with flavour, it makes a great dinner party dish and can be easily scaled up to feed a crowd.

Ingredients

For the minced meat

500 g/1¼ lb lean minced (ground) lamb
50 g/2

Asia
India
Main course
Stew
Gluten-free

Method

In a non-stick pan, cook the minced lamb over medium to high heat until the juices evaporate and the lamb is beginning to brown. Add the yogurt and cook over a low heat for 2–3 minutes, then remove from the heat and set aside.
Heat the o