Mutton/Lamb Biryani
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Indian Food
Cuisine
Indian
Servings
8
Prep Time
1 hour
Cook Time
45 minutes
My go-to recipe for meat biryani. Layers of meat and rice, flavored with lots of fried onions and drizzled with saffron. This dish is a real treat and worth the time spent to make it.
Author:Audra Reddy
Ingredients
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2 lbs. lamb shoulder, cut into 2 inch squares (with bone is best)
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1/2 cup - 3/4 cup yogurt (more if needed to marinate the lamb)
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1/2 teaspoon turmeric
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1 1/2 teaspoons salt
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2 T. Biryani masala spice (notes below) - you can skip this and use store bought biryani masala powder
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2 T. ghee or butter
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2 T. oil
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1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
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1 bay leaf
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5 cloves
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1 piece of cinnamon stick
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2 green cardamom pods
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1 black cardamom pod
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2 star anise
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3 onions, sliced thick
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1 T. ginger garlic paste
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3 tomatoes, cut into chunks
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1 teaspoon chili powder
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1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
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1/2 teaspoon garam masala
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1/2 cup whole milk
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1/4 cup water
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3 cups basmati rice, washed and soaked
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8 cups water
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2 T. salt
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1 teaspoon lemon juice
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1 teaspoon ghee or butter
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2 cups crispy fried onions (purchased from the Indian store) or thinly sliced onions cooked for 45 minutes in 3 T. melted butter).
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1/2 cup mint leaves, roughly chopped
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1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
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2 T. warm ghee
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Lemon slices for topping
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½ tsp. Garam masala
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½ tsp. Amchur powder
Lamb Marinade
Lamb Masala
Parboiled Rice
Biryani Layering
Directions
Lamb Marinade
Rinse lamb and pat dry with paper towels. Combine the yogurt, turmeric, salt and biryani masala powder (homemade spice mixture in notes below) Put lamb in a large bowl and pour in yogurt mixture. Mix until the lamb is coated with the yogurt mixture. Set aside for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
Lamb Masala
Add ghee and oil to a large pressure cooker ( or Instant Pot) and turn on medium heat. Add cumin seeds, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon stick and cardamom and star anise. Fry for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
Add sliced onions and fry for 4-5 minutes or until the onions are lightly browned. Add ginger garlic paste and fry until fragrant - 1 minute.
Add chopped tomatoes and cook until they become soft, about 2 minutes.
Add marinated lamb and cook for 4-5 minutes until the meat starts turning brown.
Add the chili powder, turmeric and garam masala. Fry and stir to combine. If you like spice, add 1-3 green chilis at this point.
Now add the milk and water and stir until well mixed. Tightly seal the lid and pressure cook on medium for 25-30 minutes. The lamb will be tender - but should not fall apart.
Parboiled Rice
Wash the rice and soak for 30 minutes before cooking.
Bring water to boil, then add rice, salt, oil, lemon juice. Turn to simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Test the rice to make sure it still has a bite to it. Do not overcook the rice it will continue to cook when it steams with the lamb. Drain the rice and set aside.
Saffron Milk
Crush 10-12 strands of saffron in a small bowl and add 2 T. hot milk. Set aside to infuse.
Biryani Layering
Add ½ parboiled rice to the bottom of a Dutch oven. Drizzle a small amount of ghee. Scoop mutton masala from the pressure cooker and spread over the rice. Save the gravy leftover in the pan to serve with biryani. Sprinkle ½ cup fried onion over meat. Add the remaining rice and spread over the top. Sprinkle with additional ½ cup fried onion. Top with chopped mint, cilantro leaves and lay sliced lemons. Sprinkle with garam masala/amchur spices.
Using a spoon, drizzle the saffron milk over the rice. Next drizzle the hot ghee. Cover the Dutch oven with a lid and let this cook on low for 20 minutes. Turn off the burner and let rest for 10 minutes.
Uncover and serve while hot. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Ensure each serving gets a layer of everything. Serve with raita or gravy.
Recipe Note
To make biryani spice from scratch: Add to spice grinder and grind. Add to meat with yogurt and turmeric and marinate as normal.
1 medium bay leaf
1 dried red chili
1 small whole mace
1 - 2inch cinnamon stick
5 whole cloves
1 black cardamom
4 green cardamom
1 star anise
1 tsp. Roasted cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. Black peppercorns
1/2 tsp. Fennel seeds
1/4 tsp carom seeds
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