Celebratory Lamb Biryani Recipe
Prep Time:
30 minutes
Cook Time:
2 hours, 30 minutes
Servings:
6 Servings
Ingredients
  • 2 large onions, divided
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 inch fresh ginger, finely chopped
  • 5 tablespoons slivered almonds, divided
  • 5 tablespoons ghee, divided
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 pounds lamb shoulder, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon garam masala
  • 1 large cinnamon stick
  • 4 cardamom pods
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 6 cloves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • 3 cups lamb stock, hot
  • 1 teaspoon saffron threads
  • ⅓ cup whole milk, warmed
  • 1 pound basmati rice
  • ¾ cup plain yogurt
  • 4 tablespoons dried cranberries, to serve
Directions
  1. Add half an onion, chopped, to a food processor along with the garlic cloves, fresh ginger, 2 tablespoons of slivered almonds, and 3 tablespoons of water. Blend everything together to form a paste. Set this to one side.
  2. Slice the reminding one and a half onions into thin crescents. Heat up 2 tablespoons of ghee in a large pan over medium-high heat, then add the onions to the pan. Season with salt. Fry the onions for 5 minutes or until they are golden brown and becoming crispy. Remove them from the pan and sit them in a bowl lined with kitchen towel to absorb any excess oil.
  3. Add remaining 3 tablespoons of slivered almonds to the hot ghee still in the pan and fry them until they are a deep golden color. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the pan, and similarly place them in a kitchen towel-lined bowl to absorb any excess oil.
  4. Add another tablespoon of ghee to the hot pan, liberally season the chopped lamb with salt and pepper, and then add it to the pan to brown all over. Once the lamb is browned, remove it from the pan and set aside side.
  5. Add the blended onion, garlic, and ginger mixture to the hot pan and fry everything for a few minutes until the mixture is beginning to color.
  6. Add the garam masala, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cumin seeds, cloves, bay leaves, and ground coriander to the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until the spices become fragrant, about 2 minutes.
  7. Add the lamb back to the pot, along with the lamb stock. Set the pan to simmer and let the lamb slowly cook for an hour, stirring occasionally. If the pan runs low on liquid, add a little more water or stock. At the end of the hour, there should be roughly 1 cup of liquid in the pan along with the lamb.
  8. While the lamb cooks, heat up a small pan over low heat. Add the threads of saffron to the pan for a few seconds, and then remove them and add them to the warmed milk. Stir the saffron into the milk and then set it aside to infuse for 30 minutes.
  9. Place the basmati rice into water and let it soak for 20 minutes. Then, drain the rice and add it to a large pot of salted, boiling water. Allow the rice to cook for 6 minutes, so that it is just more than half cooked. Drain the rice and set it aside
  10. Once the lamb has been stewing gently for an hour, preheat the oven to 325 F. Stir the yogurt into the lamb.
  11. In a large, ovenproof casserole dish, layer up the lamb mixture and then the rice on top. Drizzle the saffron-infused milk over the top of the rice in streaks, and similarly, drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of ghee. Add roughly half the fried onions on top, and then place the lid on the casserole dish and seal the edges with tin foil.
  12. Place the biryani in the oven for an hour. When an hour is up, remove the biryani from the oven, remove the tin foil and the lid, and serve the dish topped with the remaining onions, the fried almonds, and dried cranberries. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve with extra yogurt if desired.