lamb biryani

Lucknavi biryani is from Lucknow's Awadhi cuisine. It has wonderfully complex flavours and is a work of art when presented well. A special dish, suited to special occasions.

prepare: 30

cook: 2 20

soak: 30

total time: 3 20

difficulty: complex

yield: 6 servings

calories: 642 kcal

diet: gluten free

cuisine: awadhi, Indian

equipment

deep pot with lid

ingredients

800 g lamb leg - cut into 5cm cubes

for the stock

300 g lamb bones
2 black cardamom pods - broken open
10 green cardamom pods - broken open
1 stick cassia
2 star anise
1 tsp black peppercorn
10 cloves
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp nigella seeds - (shah jeera)
1 blade mace
2 indian bay leaves
30 g ginger - coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic - coarsely chopped
1 tsp salt
1½ litre water - cold

for the rice

400 g sella rice
½ tsp saffron threads
100 ml milk - warm
1 tbsp ghee
½ stick cassia
1 black cardamom pod - broken open
1 star anise
½ tsp salt

for the lamb

150 ml yoghurt
3 tbsp dried fried shallots - (beresta)
24 raw cashews
3 tbsp ghee
1 indian bay leaf
5 green cardamom pods - broken open
1 stick cassia - finely crumbled
1 tsp black peppercorn
6 cloves
1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
2 blades mace - crumbled
½ nutmeg - grated
30 g ginger - minced
4 cloves garlic - minced
2 red chillies - finely sliced

to assemble

2 dried figs - finely chopped
1 tbsp raisins
2 tsp pandanus essence - (kewra)
1 tbsp dried fried shallots - (beresta)
1 tbsp ghee

to serve

2 eggs
½ tbsp ghee
1 brown onion - finely sliced
1 red chilli - finely sliced

instructions

for the stock

Place the lamb, the lamb bones and all the ingredients for the stock into a pan with 1½ litres of cold water. Mix well, bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes or until the lamb is almost cooked.
Remove the lamb from the stock using a slotted spoon, ensuring any spices are returned to the stock. Remove any large pieces of fat from the meat and put these back into the stock. Set lamb pieces aside, and continue to simmer the stock, covered, for about 30 minutes.
Remove from heat and strain. Discard the spices and lamb bones. Reserve the stock and lamb in separate containers.

for the rice

Wash the rice in several changes of water until the water is clear. Cover the rice with luke-warm water and set aside to soak for 30 minutes.
Place saffron threads into a cup with the warm milk, stir gently and set aside to infuse for 30 minutes.
Put the ghee in a pot with a tight lid and bring to moderate heat.
Drain the rice and carefully add to the ghee. Mix well to ensure each grain is coated with ghee. Fry, stirring frequently, for two minutes, or until the rice starts to stick to the sides of the pot. Add the cassia stick, the black cardamom and the star anise, and mix well.
Add 750ml (3 cups) of stock to the rice. Be careful as the pot will be very hot and the stock may boil over quickly. Stir, cover pot, and reduce heat to very low.
Cook on low heat for fifteen minutes, and then turn off the heat. Quickly uncover the pot, fluff the rice with a fork, and then re-cover the pot. Leave until ready to start assembling the dish.

for the lamb

Whisk together the yoghurt and dried shallots. Set aside.
Place 24 raw cashews in a grinder, and blend to a paste with 100ml of cold water. Set aside.
Using a large pan, heat the ghee over low-medium heat, then add the bay leaf, cardamom pods, cinnamon, peppercorns, cloves, Kashmiri chilli powder, mace and nutmeg. Fry for two minutes, stirring continuously until spices swell and become aromatic. Add the ginger, garlic and red chillies. Mix well and cook for five minutes or until the raw garlic smell has gone.
Increase the heat to medium and add the lamb. Stir frequently and cook for five minutes, or until the lamb has browned.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the cashew paste and mix well. Now add the yoghurt and shallot mix, one tablespoon at a time, mixing well and bring up to a simmer.
Add 250ml of the reserved stock, mix well and simmer very gently, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until the sauce is very thick and clinging to the meat. Remove from heat.

to assemble

Preheat oven to 175C.
Place the cooked rice into a large pot with a tight-fitting lid and spread evenly, but do not compact the rice.
Pour the saffron and milk evenly over the top of the rice. Now place the figs and raisins evenly over the rice. Sprinkle with the kewra and fried shallots.
Cover the rice evenly with the lamb.
Break the ghee into small pieces and dot around the top of the dish.
Seal the pot well, and place it into the oven for 30 minutes.
Prepare the onion garnish by heating ½ tablespoon of ghee in a small frying pan. When hot, add the finely sliced brown onion and cook for about 10-15 minutes, or until onions have browned well and starting to caramelise. Remove from heat, and set aside on kitchen paper to remove excess ghee. This onion will become crisp by the time you use it for garnish.
Whilst the dish is in the oven, prick the bottom of the eggs with a pin, then place into a small pan with cold water. Quickly bring the pan up to a simmer, then cook the eggs for seven minutes. Remove from heat, drain the hot water, then cover the eggs with cold water. Peel the eggs when cool enough to handle. Set aside.

to serve

Place a warmed serving dish over the cooking pot, and carefully invert. Gently scrape any remaining biryani from this pot. Quarter the eggs and distribute them over the dish. Sprinkle with the reserved browned onions and sliced red chilli. Serve.

notes

400g of uncooked rice is approximately 2 cups.
Beresta are thinly sliced crisp fried shallots and are available from most Indian grocers. The Chinese variant is a suitable substitute.
Kewra is an extract that is distilled from pandanus flowers. A good Indian grocer will have this.
Sella rice is a special type of basmati rice and available from Indian grocers. Normal basmati rice can be substituted.

private notes

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