Lamb Biryani Recipe Madhur Jaffrey 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.

ROYAL PERSIAN LAMB

Steps:

• Put the garlic, ginger and almonds and 6 tablespoons of water into the container of an electric blender. Blend until you have a paste.
• Put the oil in a wide, heavy, preferably non-stick pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in just enough meat pieces so they lie uncrowded in a single layer. Brown the meat pieces on all sides, then remove them with a slotted spoon and put them in a bowl. Brown all the meat this way.
• Put the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon into the hot oil. Within seconds, the cloves will expand. Now put in the onions. Stir and fry the onions until they turn a brownish color.
• Turn the heat down to medium. Put in the paste from the blender as well as the coriander, cumin and cayenne. Stir and fry this mixture for 3-4 minutes or until it too has browned somewhat.
• Now put in the meat cubes as well as any liquid that might have accumulated in the meat bowl, the salt, the cream and 120 ml of water. Bring to a boil. Cover and turn heat to low and simmer or cook in a preheated oven (180 C), for 1.5 hour until the meat is tender. Stir frequently during this cooking period. Skim off any fat that floats to the top. Sprinkle in the garam masala and mix.
• Note: The whole spices in this dish are not meant to be eaten.
• Persian Curries are served traditionally with flat bread only but we have found that it is perfect with rice or a delicate alternative would is freshly buttered cus cus.

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.

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.

LAMB (GOSHT) BIRYANI

Steps:

• Place the basmati rice in a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let stand 30 minutes. Drain.
• Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet over medium heat; fry the cloves, cardamom pods, and cinnamon sticks in the hot oil until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the onions; cook and stir until the onions are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir the garlic paste and ginger paste into the onion mixture; cook until the garlic and ginger is fragrant, about 1 minute more. Sprinkle the cilantro and mint over the mixture and cook 1 minute more.
• Add the lamb chops to the skillet; season with salt. Cook and stir the lamb until the meat begins to brown, about 20 minutes.
• Stir the tomatoes, green chile peppers, and ground red pepper into the mixture; continue cooking until the oil begins to separate from the gravy, about 10 minutes. Add the yogurt and lemon juice; cover and cook until the lamb is tender, about 15 minutes. Add water as needed to keep the mixture from getting too dry.
• Bring the rice, 7 1/2 cups water, and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil in a saucepan until the rice is nearly done yet a little chewy, 10 to 15 minutes; drain any excess water.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small skillet; fry the sliced onion in the hot oil until lightly browned.
• Layer about half the rice in the bottom of a deep pot with a lid. Spoon the lamb masala over the rice. Spread the fried onion over the lamb masala. Top with the remaining rice. Stir the saffron and warm milk together in a small bowl; pour over the top layer of rice. Cover the pot with the lid and place the pot over low heat; cook until the rice is thoroughly cooked, about 15 minutes.