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

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

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