Homestyle Weekend Speciality Lamb Biryani
Author: 
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Indian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6 cups
 
Ingredients
  • • • Oil – 1tbsp
  • • • Bay leaf – ½
  • • • Cinnamon – 1 thin piece
  • • • Cloves – 3
  • • • Cardamom pods -2
  • • • Basmati Rice – 2.5 cups
  • • • Lamb – 400 gms (I used neck)
  • • • Biryani Masala – 1 tbsp
  • • • Garlic – 4, chopped
  • • • Green chilli – 2, slit into two
  • • • Red Onion – 2 medium sized, sliced
  • • • Tomato – ½, medium sized, sliced
  • •
  • for garnish:
  • • • Saffron – ½ tsp dissolved in ½ cup warm milk
  • • • Ghee – 2 tbsp (or oil)
  • • • Coriander leaves – 1 tbsp, chopped finely
  • • • Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
  • For fried onions: (comes to 2 tbsp)
  • • • Onions – 1 small onion, ½ cup, sliced thinly
  • • • Oil – to fry (3 - 4 tbsp)
  • For rice masala:
  • • • Khus khus (white poppy seeds) – ½ tbsp.
  • • • Cumin seeds/ jeera – ½ tbsp
  • • • Fennel seeds – 1 tbsp.
  • • • Garlic – 4 pods
  • • • Ginger – 2 inches
  • • • Green chilli – 7
  • • • Mint – ½ cup, chopped finely
  • • • Coriander leaves – ¼ cup, chopped finely.
Instructions
  1. For Fried onions: or you can use store brought ones:
  2. Heat a pan with oil, add the sliced onions and cook in medium heat till turn golden brown. Stir in the middle so that it does not stick to the bottom. Set aside.
  3. For lamb: Add lamb, salt for lamb, then add water till it the lamb is correctly covered, not more or less. Cook for 1 hour and cook it covered in medium low heat or put it in a pressure cooker for 5 whistles. Water will not be evaporated totally, which is good. Store the water.
  4. For masala:
  5. Grind the garlic, ginger, mint, coriander, poppy seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, chillis with two tbsp. of water into a smooth paste.
  6. Now take a big pan, add oil or ghee in medium heat, add the spices (cardamom, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves), and add garlic , sliced onions, chillies and sauté for a minute till they get translucent. Now add the tomatoes, grinded paste, biryani powder and sauté them till the raw smell leaves and little oil oozes out, probably 2 minutes.
  7. Now add the rice, cooked lamb without water and mix well. Sauté for a minute to allow the masala to get mixed.
  8. Now add water from lamb and then normal water( Quantity of water to be added is for one cup of rice , it is 1.5 cups of water). Mix well and close the lid tight and keep it in medium heat for 10 minutes and keep it in low for 15 minutes.
  9. I always close my biryani pan with foil to make it sealed, then a plate and then something heavy (like mortar and pestle).
  10. Now add the marinated fried onions, chopped coriander, lemon juice for garnish and Drizzle the saffron milk over the rice. and Switch off, and keep it closed for another 5 minutes. They will help the rice to get the saffron flavors and vice versa.
Notes
1. You can skip biryani masala if you don’t have and add just garam masala (1 tsp and red chilli powder – 3 tsp instead of 1 tsp)
3. If it is spicy in the end, squeeze some lemon, it will reduce the heat and enhance the flavors also.
2. Adjust your salt level as per your taste.
Recipe by Relish The Bite at https://www.relishthebite.com/homestyle-weekend-speciality-lamb-biryani/