Lamb Biryani
The Ultimate Biryani Recipe! The Biryani Spice was given to me by a friend and amazing chef… its tasty and authentic. If you fancy a veggie version simply switch the lamb for potatoes!
For the Biryani Spice:
3 red chilli, dried
7 bay leaf
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp caraway seeds
3 mace
2 inch cinnamon stick
1 nutmeg
1 tsp cloves
3 black cardamom
3 star anise
10 cardamom
1 tbsp pepper
1 tsp fennel
½ tsp turmeric
Everything Else:
Half lamb shoulder, cut into tiny bite sized pieces
1 cup of Yogurt
1 tbsp ginger
1 tbsp garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 Onions
4 Tomatoes
1 Cup of Milk
1 1/2 Cups of Rice
1 cup of coriander
3-5 potatoes
Method
Dry roast 3 red chilli and 7 bay leaf till they turn crisp. Keep aside
Further dry roast 2 tbsp coriander seeds, 1 tbsp cumin and 1 tbsp caraway seeds till they turn aromatic. keep aside
Also dry roast 3 mace, 2 inch cinnamon stick, 1 nutmeg, 1 tsp cloves, 3 black cardamom, 3 star anise, 10 cardamom, 1 tbsp pepper, 1 tsp fennel, 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
Once all the dry roasting has been done transfer to a blender and allow to cool completely - this will make quite a lot of biryani spice but the beauty is that you can put it in a jar and keep it for next time
Once thats done, put the biryani spice aside, and marinate the lamb in yogurt, garlic, ginger, 1 chopped onion and 1 tsp of biryani spice
Place it in the fridge for as long as you can, a few hours is ideal but if you are in a rush its fine to start cooking straight away
In a pan, fry 2 onions in butter and olive oil until brown and translucent
In a slow cooker/pressure cooker/large pot, add the lamb, half the fried onions, the tomatoes, coriander, the milk and a couple of teaspoons of biryani spice
If you are using a pressure cooker like me, then cook on a high pressure for 20 minutes (it will be soft then) if you are using a slow cooker cook for about 4-6 hours, if you are using a normal pot, then place a lid over the top and cook on a high heat until soft (that should take about 1 hour)
While the lamb is cooking prepare the rice. Cook the rice as you normally do but add a teaspoon of the biryani spice
When everything is done, layer the biryani. You do this by adding butter/oil to the bottom of a baking dish, then a layer of rice, some of the leftover onions, lamb, drizzle some more butter, and then repeat one more, finish off with a light layer of rice on top and some onions
Cook in the oven for about 15 minutes or until slightly crispy on top
Garnish with coriander and serve with yogurt (I love a yogurt with cucumber and mint)
Enjoy!