Hyderabadi Biryani

Lamb cooked in a spicy sauce, layered and baked with rice

  • 1 ½ lb cubed boneless leg of lamb
  • Salt to taste
  • ½ tsp each of these ground spices: black pepper, cardamom seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, cayenne pepper, garam masala and saffron
  • 1 tsp ground cumin seeds
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • ½-inch piece ginger
  • 2 green chilies
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 cup Balkan-style yogurt
  • 2 tbsp each: chopped fresh coriander and mint
  • 1 ½ cups basmati rice, washed
  • 6 cups water

Place lamb in deep mixing bowl. Add salt, ground spices: black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, cayenne, garam masala, ¼ tsp saffron and cumin.

Warm 2 tbsp butter in skillet over medium high heat. Add onions and sauté until golden, about 15 minutes. Reserve half onions in small bowl and transfer rest to blender or mini food processor. Add garlic, ginger, green chilies, 1 tbsp lemon juice and yogurt. Blend to smooth paste.

Pour paste over lamb, along with chopped coriander and mint. Mix well to coat lamb. Cover, refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours.

Transfer lamb and all its marinade to a heavy bottomed saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and cook lamb 1 hour, stirring occasionally. The lamb should be tender and sauce thick at end of cooking. Remove lamb pieces from sauce, reserve in bowl. You should have about 1-1 ¼ cup of sauce.

Preheat oven to 300F. Dissolve ¼ tsp saffron in 1 tbsp lemon juice, leave 15 minutes.

Bring water and salt to boil in large pot over high heat. Add washed rice and stir once gently. Once water boils again, reduce heat to medium and cook 6 minutes. The rice should have a hard centre and not be completely cooked through. Drain rice well and spread on tray to cool.

To assemble biryani, lightly grease a large flat ovenproof dish. Spread half the rice on bottom. Cover with lamb pieces. Top with remaining rice and drizzle sauce evenly all over. Spread reserved fried onions and drizzle saffron lemon juice. Dot evenly with 2 tbsp butter. Cover tightly with foil and bake 1 hour. Switch off oven and let biryani rest in warm oven 10 minutes. Transfer to platter and serve.

Serves four to six