lamb biryani

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

prepare: 30

cook: 2 20

soak: 1

total time: 3 50

difficulty: complex

yield: 6 servings

calories: 639 kcal

diet: gluten free

cuisine: awadhi, Indian

equipment

large pot
slotted spoon
large bowl
deep pot with lid
wide pan with lid
casserole - see notes

ingredients

800 g lamb leg - diced into large pieces - see notes

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 litres water - cold

for the rice

400 g sella rice
1 tbsp ghee
½ stick cassia
1 black cardamom pod - broken open
1 star anise

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

for assembly

50 ml milk - warm
½ tsp saffron threads
2 dried figs - finely chopped
1 tbsp raisins
2 tsp pandanus essence - (kewra)
1 tbsp dried fried shallots - (beresta)
1 tbsp ghee

for serving

2 eggs - large, free range
½ tbsp ghee
1 brown onion - finely sliced
1 red chilli - finely sliced

metricUS

instructions

to make the stock

Place the lamb, the lamb bones and all the ingredients for the stock into a large pot with the 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. Skim any scum from the top of the stock occasionally.
Remove the stock from heat and strain. Discard the spices and lamb bones. Reserve the stock and lamb in separate containers.

to par-cook the rice

Place the rice in a large bowl and rinse it in cold water, using your hand to stir it thoroughly. Discard the water and repeat this step twice more to remove any excess starch. Note that after the third rinse that the water will not be clear but will be noticeably less cloudy than after the first rinse.
Drain the rice, then cover with luke-warm water. Soak for one hour.
Put the ghee in a pot with a tight lid and bring to moderate heat. Add the cassia stick, the black cardamom and the star anise, then cook for about 2 minutes or until the spices become fragrant.
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 3 cups of the reserved lamb stock to the rice. Be careful as the pot will be very hot and the stock may boil over quickly. Stir gently, cover pot, and reduce heat to very low.
Cook on low heat for fifteen minutes 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. Note that the rice will not be completely cooked. It will finish cooking in the oven, later.

to make the lamb

Whisk together the yoghurt and dried shallots. Set aside.
Make a paste from the raw cashews with a little cold water. Set aside.
Using a large pan, heat the ghee over low-medium heat, then add the bay leaf, cardamom pods, cassia, peppercorns, cloves, and the 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.
Add the Kashmiri chilli powder and grated nutmeg. Mix well and fry for about one minute.
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 one cup 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 175 °C.
Put the saffron threads into the warm milk, stir gently and set aside to infuse for 30 minutes.
Place the cooked rice into a casserole with a tight-fitting lid and spread evenly, but do not compact the rice. Pour half a cup of the reserved stock around the outside of the rice. If there is no stock remaining, use water.
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 casserole well and place it into the oven for 30 minutes.
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.
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.

to serve

Place a warmed serving dish over the casserole 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

Dice the lamb into 4cm (1 ½ inch) pieces. Your butcher will likely do this for you.

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. Reduce the rice cooking time and water a little.

Use a casserole of about 3 litres (6 pints) to do the last stage of cooking. It has to contain all the ingredients and allow room for steam to develop.

private notes

This feature is only available to subscribers.

nutrition