Lamb Biryani

Name: Lamb Biryani
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons lemon juice; 250 ml (1 cup) thick plain yoghurt; ½ teaspoon saffron strands, Soaked in 2 tablespoons hot milk; 1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) boneless lamb leg or shoulder, cut into 3 cm (1¼ inch) cubes; 125 g (4½ oz) unsalted butter, melted; 2 tablespoons garam masala; 8 cm (3 inch) piece of ginger, grated; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 200 g (1⅓ cups) wholewheat flour; 125 ml (½ cup) oil; ¼ teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon salt; 500 g (2½ cups) basmati rice; 4 onions, thinly sliced; 15 g (¼ cup) chopped mint leaves; 20 g (⅔ cup) chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves; ½ teaspoon chilli powder; 4 green chillies, finely chopped; ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

Preparation info

Serves
6

Difficulty
Complex

Appears in

The Food of India

By Priya Wickramasinghe

Published 2005

About

This is a rice and lamb dish in which both ingredients are cooked together in a sealed container. You can cook the lamb without browning it first and, in fact, this is the traditional method. However, browning the meat adds extra flavour.

Ingredients

1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) boneless lamb leg or shoulder, cut into 3 cm (1¼ inch) cubes

Asia
India
Main course
Spicy

Method

Mix the lamb cubes in a bowl with the ginger, garlic, garam masala, chilli powder, turmeric, chilli, coriander and mint. Cover and marinate in the fridge overnight.

Wash the rice in a sieve under cold, running water until the water from the rice runs clear. Put the sliced onion in a sieve, sprinkle with the salt and leave for 10 minutes to drain off any liquid that oozes out. Rinse and