A beautifully spiced lamb layered between fragrant basmati rice, following a traditional Indian recipe. This is a real deal biryani, not a stir-fried rice with a few bits of meat thrown in.
Lucknowi-Style Lamb Biryani
Lucknowi-Style Lamb Biryani is a traditional Indian dish that has been passed down through generations. The dish was very popular in the kitchens of the Mughal Emperors who ruled between the early 16th century to the early 18th century and it remains a much-loved dish in India today. This recipe follows the Lucknowi style where the meat is seared and cooked in water with spices, then drained. The resulting broth is used to cook the rice. Both the cooked elements are then layered together in a deep pot, sealed and baked.
Ingredients
- 500 grams basmati rice
- Large pinch salt
- 1.25 litres water
- Small sprig mint leaves
- Small sprig coriander leaves
- 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil or ghee
- 3 large onions (about 600 grams), peeled and thinly sliced
- 500 grams lamb or mutton leg or shoulder, cubed
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped, grated or pureed
- 2-3 teaspoons (0.5 inch piece) ginger, finely chopped or grated
- 2 brown cardamoms, lightly crushed to crack pods open
- 3 green cardamoms, lightly crushed to crack pods open
- 1-2 inch piece of cinnamon or cassia bark
- 2 bay leaves
- 4-5 black peppercorns
- 4-5 cloves
- 0.5 teaspoon black cumin seeds (use ordinary cumin seeds if you don’t have black)
- 1-2 green chillies, slit lengthwise (adjust to your taste and strength of chillies)
- 0.5 teaspoon chilli powder (adjust to your taste)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 60 ml (quarter cup) thick, full-fat natural yoghurt
- 100-150 grams chopped tomatoes
- Small bunch of coriander leaves, chopped
- Small bunch of mint leaves, chopped
- Half a small lemon, cut into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon ghee or clarified butter
- A few strands of saffron soaked in a tablespoon of warm water
- A few drops of rose water and/or kewra (screw-pine flower) essence
- Optional: Orange or jalebi food colour, dissolved in 1 teaspoon water
- Optional quarter cup of cashew nuts or blanched almonds
Directions
- In a large pan, heat the vegetable oil or ghee and fry the onions until they are dark brown, stirring regularly so they do not catch and burn. This is a slow process; mine took approximately half an hour.
- Remove onions from the pan and set aside.
- Add more oil to the pan if necessary, then add the whole spices plus the ginger and garlic. Fry for a couple of minutes to release the aromas.
- Add the lamb, salt and chilli powder and stir fry to brown the meat on all sides.
- Add the yoghurt, tomatoes, two thirds of the mint and coriander that is listed for the meat, the sliced green chillies, lemon pieces and half of the fried onions. Cook, stirring frequently, until the meat is done and only a little thick gravy is left. This may take 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the quality and cut of the meat.
- Once the lamb curry is made, turn off the heat and set it aside.
- While the meat is cooking, prepare the rice. Boil briskly with salt, the mint and coriander leaves listed for the rice until the rice is nearly cooked. (When you squash a grain between your fingers, only a hint of hardness should remain).
- Drain, rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process and set aside.
- Grease a large oven proof dish or pan with ghee or vegetable oil.
- Spread a third of the par-cooked rice across the base of the dish.
- Spread a quarter of the reserved browned onions over the rice.
- Sprinkle a little saffron water, rose and kewra essence over the rice.
- Spread half the lamb curry over the rice.
- Repeat to add another layer of rice, onions, lamb curry and the saffron and flavourings.
- Top with the last third of the rice, the remaining browned onions and another sprinkling of saffron and flavourings.
- Dot the surface with a little ghee plus a few drops of colouring, if using.
- Sprinkle cashew nuts or blanched almonds over top, if using.
- Cover the pan tightly with foil and then the lid.
- Preheat oven to 180° C (fan) and bake for about 30-40 minutes.
- Serve hot.
- The quality of the meat is important, so do buy good quality lamb or mutton. I used lamb steaks for my biryani.