Lamb biryani

 

Lamb biryani

Serves 6-8

Biryani is a dish fit for a king and its origin is largely credited to Persia. The delicate layering of rice interspersed with spices and meat or poultry relies on a special Persian steaming method known as dam pokht (or dum pukht if you are from India), meaning 'steam-cooked'. There are now so many variation of biryani from India to Pakistan, but authentic versions have no chilli in them whatsoever - just aromatic spices such as luxurious Persian saffron. My wonderful friend Asma Khan is the Queen of Biryani and nobody has a more delicate and expert hand than she does when it comes to making the best and most authentic. Asma very kindly shared some of her biryani wisdom with me, from which I am delighted to share a simplified version of this hugely popular dish with you.

ingredients

(i halved the spices to make it a bit more mild)

vegetable oil

6 large onions

800g (1lb 12oz) boneless lamb neck

fillets, cut into 2.5cm (1in) chunks

1 tbsp green cardamom pods (less than 1tbsp full)

6 black cardamom pods (skipped)

4 bay leaves (used 2 instead)

2 tsp turmeric (used 1tsp, mix w oil and fry)

2 tbsp cumin seeds (used 1tbsp)

4 cinnamon sticks, each 7cm (3in) long (used one stick)

200g (7oz) Greek yogurt

sea salt

600g (1lb 5oz) basmati rice

2 generous pinches of saffron threads (optional)

2 tsp boiling water

125g (4.oz) butter

method

FRIED ONIONS:

Preheat a large saucepan over a medium-high heat and pour in 250ml (9fl oz) vegetable oil. Chop 4 of the onions in half, then thinly slice into 5mm thick half moons. Fry the onion slices in the oil (there should b just enough oil to cover them, so add more oil if needed) stirring every few minutes, until they are golden brown and crispy. Using a slotted spoon, drain the onions on to a plate lined with kitchen paper and set aside.

COOK THE LAMB:

Pour out the oil, leaving behind just enough to coat the base of the pan. Roughly dice the remaining 2 onion and fry them over a medium-high heat until they become translucent. 

add the cumin and turmeric and give it a fry

remove onions and spices

Add the diced lamb and sear it until it begins to brown. 

Put in the:

cardamom pods, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks 

and the fried onion, turmeric and cumin

Mix well. 

Pour in just enough boiling water to barely cover the meat, reduce the heat to medium and cook the lamb for about an hour until just tender. Leave to cool. 

Once cooled, add the yogurt to the lamb, season generously with sea salt, stir well and set aside.

MAKE THE RICE: (can follow usual biryani rice measurements)

Preheat a large saucepan over a medium-high heat.

Fill the pan with boiling water and add the rice with a generous handful of crumbled sea salt. Boil for 6-8 minutes until the rice is parboiled. You will know it is parboiled when the colour of the grains turns from the normal dullish white to a more brilliant white and the grains become slightly elongated and begin to soften.

Drain the rice and rinse it immediately under cold running water for a couple of minutes to wash off all the excess starch until it is cool.

Line the bottom of the saucepan used to parboil the rice with some nonstick baking paper and set aside.

Grind the saffron (if using) with a pestle and mortar, then pour over the 2 tablespoons of boiling water and leave to infuse.

Back to the rice; return the paper-lined saucepan to the hob and pour in a generous drizzle of oil with a couple of good knobs of the butter. Add 1 tablespoon crushed sea salt.

Scatter in just enough rice to cover the base of the pan with a good layer. Drizzle a little of the saffron water (if using) over this layer of rice.

Take the yogurt-marinated pre-cooked lamb and divide it into two portions. Layer one portion over the rice, then cover with a thin layer of rice, sprinkle over some more saffron water (if using), then add a generous layer of crispy onions and dot more butter on top. Repeat the layers until the rice, lamb, crispy onions and butter are all used up.

Wrap the pan lid in a tea towel, cover the pan and cook the rice on the lowest temperature possible if using gas, or low-medium heat if using electric, for 30-45 minutes, or until the rice is cooked. When ready to serve, either flip the rice on to a serving dish or decant on to a serving platter, then scrape out the crispy rice from the base of the pan and serve it on top of the rice.