James Martin Lamb Biryani Food

LAMB BIRYANI

Steps:

• Toss the lamb in a bowl with the garlic, ginger and a large pinch of salt. Marinate in the fridge overnight or for at least a couple of hours.
• Heat the oil in a casserole. Fry the lamb for 5-10 mins until starting to brown. Add the onion, cumin seeds and nigella seeds, and cook for 5 mins until starting to soften. Stir in the curry paste, then cook for 1 min more. Scatter in the rice and curry leaves, then pour over the stock and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• Stir in the paneer, spinach and some seasoning. Cover the dish with a tight lid of foil, then put the lid on to ensure it's well sealed. Cook in the oven for 20 mins, then leave to stand, covered, for 10 mins. Bring the dish to the table, remove the lid and foil, scatter with the coriander and chillies and serve with yogurt on the side.

LAMB BIRYANI

Steps:

• Prepare the lamb marinade: Add the finger chiles, garlic and ginger to a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add the onions and tomatoes, process until smooth, and scrape into a bowl that will hold all the lamb and fit in your fridge. Add the yogurt, mint, cilantro, coriander, cumin, chile powder, turmeric and salt, and stir to combine. Add the lamb to the bowl and toss to coat in the marinade, then cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Prepare the fried onions: In a Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat the oil over medium. Add the onions, season with salt, and sauté until browned, stirring occasionally, 25 to 30 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer fried onions to a paper towel-lined plate. Using your hands, pull apart the fried onions to separate to prevent them from sticking together, and set aside.
• Add the cinnamon, peppercorns, cloves and cardamom to the remaining hot oil, and fry over medium until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the meat, its marinade and 1 cup water, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender and the sauce is very thick and dark, about 2 1/2 hours, adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a low simmer. Stir in the garam masala and taste, adjusting with salt and chile powder as needed. Set aside.
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the rice: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and add the rice. Stir well and cook for 3 minutes, transfer to a colander in the sink to drain. Run some cool water on top to cool the rice; set aside.
• Prepare the saffron milk for assembly: Warm the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat just until it steams. Remove from heat and add the saffron, crumbling it with your fingertips as you drop it into the milk. Set aside.
• In a large, heavy, lidded pot, add about a third of the meat mixture in an even layer covering the bottom of the pot. Sprinkle the meat with a third of the herbs and a third of the rice, assembling lightly without packing the layers. Drizzle 2 tablespoons saffron milk over the rice and add about a third of the fried onions. Build two more layers of meat, herbs, rice, saffron milk and onions. Top with pats of butter and cover the pot with foil.
• Put the lid on the pot of rice, transfer to the oven and bake until piping hot, about 1 hour. Let rest for about 10 minutes, then serve hot, digging all the way to the bottom of the pot with the serving spoon. To reheat, warm the biryani covered in the oven, or microwave.

SPECIAL LAMB BIRYANI

Steps:

• Mix the lamb with the spice blend, yogurt, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Leave at room temperature for at least 30 mins or chill overnight.
• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan and cook the onions over a low-medium heat for 15-20 mins until caramelised. Meanwhile, rinse the rice three times under cold water. Drain, then cover with fresh water and leave for 30 mins.
• Transfer the onions to a bowl, add the remaining oil to the pan and brown the lamb in batches. If the marinade starts to catch, scrape it from the bottom of the pan and keep stirring - it'll add to the flavour. Tip the meat back into the pan with the garlic and ginger. Cook for another minute or 2, then add the tomatoes and 200ml water (swill the water around the dish the lamb was marinating in to pick up all the marinade before adding it to the pan). Season with salt and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 45 mins, stirring now and then and topping up with a splash of water if the sauce is catching. You can now chill the lamb for up to two days.
• Pour away the rice water, cover with fresh water and season. Bring to the boil, bubble for 2 mins, then drain and leave to cool. Put the saffron in a bowl, pour over 50ml boiling water and leave for 10 mins to steep.
• Smear 50g butter inside a casserole dish. Sprinkle over a little of the Indian spice mix and some salt. To assemble the biryani, start with 1/3 of the lamb, top with 1/3 of the rice, 1/3 of the onions, a cinnamon stick, a couple of cardamom pods, a few bay or curry leaves and a star anise. Repeat until all of the ingredients have been used up. Spoon the saffron and its water over the final layer of rice, dot with the remaining butter and season with salt. You can now chill it for up to 24 hrs.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Unroll the pastry and cut into a circle a little larger than the dish. Brush a little egg around the outside lip of the dish, then lift the pastry on top, pressing it around the edge to seal. Brush with more egg and sprinkle with nigella seeds. Bake for 45-50 mins until golden brown. Mix the herbs and onion, and serve with the biryani and extra yogurt.

LAMB BIRYANI

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, garlic, cayenne, cumin, black pepper and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Stir in the lamb.
• In a large saucepan, melt the butter over moderate heat. Add the onion and cook until starting to soften, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in the coriander, turmeric, cloves, cinnamon, rice, and the remaining salt. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
• Add the lamb mixture to the pan. Stir in the water and raisins. Bring to a simmer.
• Cover and simmer until the rice and lamb are almost done, 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Let stand, covered, until the rice and lamb are just done, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cashews.

QUICK LAMB BIRYANI

Steps:

• Heat a large pan, fry the curry paste until fragrant, add the lamb, then brown on all sides. Pour in the rice and stock, then stir well. Bring to the boil, cover with a lid, then cook for 15 mins on a medium heat until the rice is tender.
• Stir through the spinach, put the lid back on the pan and leave to steam, undisturbed, for 5 mins before serving.