Delicious, tender chunks of lamb, a rich sauce and tasty saffron rice
Whilst this dish does take some time to put together it is more than worth it- and the end result is an amazing dish. We’ve cooked this several times- and it never fails to impress!
Servings
6
Prep time:
10min
Cook time:
180min
Difficulty:
Easy
Ingredients
Biryani ingredients:
- 1.3kg lamb shoulder
- 400ml lamb stock (see below for ingredients)
- 360g basmati rice
- 50ml double cream
- 50g greek yoghurt
- 40g butter
- 5 bay leaves
- 5 cardamon pods
- 3tbsp vegetable oil
- 3tbsp fried onions
- 2tbsp garlic paste
- 2tbsp ginger paste
- 1tsp garam masala
- 1tsp ground turmeric
- 1tsp chilli flakes
- 1tsp ground mace
- 1/2 pack of corriander leaves (around 40g)
- 1 red onion
- 1 lime
- 1/2 green chilli
- 1/2tsp saffron threads
- salt and pepper to taste
Stock ingredients:
- 1 carrot
- 1tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 brown onion
- 2 thyme sprigs
- 1/2tsp black peppers
The cooking time above includes making a lamb stock from scratch- you can save time by buying it ready made or using stock cubes (although the flavour will not be as intense). If you decide to do this, the cooking time reduces significantly (as the stock takes 1hr40 to cook)- just skip to step 3 below and the remaining steps should take around 1hr40.
We decided to use lamb shoulder in this dish, but you can also use a lamb leg, or other lamb cuts.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
First: prepare the meat: cut the meat off the bone, into bite-sized pieces.
If you are making the lamb stock from scratch, place the bone into an oven dish, rub with the 1tbsp of vegetable oil, then into a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees C (400 degrees F) for 40 minutes.
Step 2
Once the lamb bone has cooked for 20 minutes, prepare the rest of the stock: peel and quarter the onion, wash, then wash and roughly chop the carrots. Add both to a pan, cover with boiling water (around 1 litre), add the thyme leaves and black peppercorns and bring to the boil. Cook for 20 minutes, then add the bone to the pan, add salt to taste, then cook for another 60 minutes on medium heat.
Step 3
Once the stock has been cooking for 40 minutes (after adding the bone in), you can start to make the sauce and cook the lamb meat.
First, prepare the onion: peel and slice thinly. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan (large enough to also hold the meat), add the sliced onion and cook for 15-20 minutes on medium heat. The onion should soften and begome golden. Stir occasionally, and if necessary, add some water if it is too dry.
Step 4
Next add, the cinamon stick, bay leaves and cardamon pods, stir and cook for 2 minutes.
Step 5
Next, add the pieces of lamb and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so the lamb browns on all sides. Then, add the ginger and garlic pastes, cook for a further 5 minutes. Finally, add the turmeric, chilli flakes, garam masala and mace. Mix everything well.
Step 6
Add the yoghurt to the pan, stir everything, add salt and pepper to taste, then cook for 5 minutes. The sauce should become creamy and thick.
Step 7
Now you can add the stock: if using homemade stock you prepared as per this recipe, strain the stock (use a sieve to remove the big chunks), and pour 400ml of stock into the pan. Otherwise, if using stock cubes, use 2 lamb stock cubes and dilute in 400ml of boiling water, then add to the pan. Mix everything, then cook the lamb for a further 45 minutes on medium heat, with the lid off.
Step 8
You now need to prepare and soak the rice: rince the rice several times until the water runs clear, then soak for 40 minutes. Drain, add boiling water and cook the rice for 5 minutes- this only partially cooks the rice as it will be finished in the oven later.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C (400 degrees F).
Step 9
Next, in a small pan, melt the butter, add the double cream and saffron theads. Mix everything.
Step 10
From the cooked lamb, remove the cinamon stick and the bay leaves. Prepare the remaining ingredients: slice the green chilli and remove the corriander leaves from the stem (reserve some for the garnish). Halve the lime.
Step 11
Scatter the chillies and coriander over the lamb, and squeeze over the lime half. Next, spoon over the rice, making sure it is evenly spread. Pour over the butter and cream mixture, then scatter the fried onions. Cover the rice with foil, then the lid, then cook in the oven for 20 minutes.
Step 12
The dish should now be cooked. Remove from the oven, and let it stand (covered) for 5-10 minutes. Remove the foil prior to serving.
Step 13
The dish is now ready to serve. Serve with a slice of lime and garnish with coriander leaves. Enjoy!
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