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Lamb biryani

Name: Lamb biryani
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Ingredients: onion 1 large, roughly chopped; garlic 3 cloves, roughly chopped; ginger 5cm chunk, peeled and roughly chopped; green chillies 3, roughly chopped; natural yogurt 6 tbsp; lamb neck 1kg, cut into chunks; basmati rice 350g; dill 2 small bunches, chopped; coriander a small bunch, chopped; butter 100g, melted; chilli powder 2 tsp; cardamom pods 6, seeds removed and ground; cinnamon stick 1, broken in half; cloves 6, ground; garam masala 2 tsp; saffron a good pinch, soaked in 3 tbsp boiling water; natural yogurt, naan breads and mango chutney or lime pickle to serve

1 hour 30 minutes + marinating
serves 6
Easy

This summer lamb and dill biryani lightens up an Indian favourite for the warmer months. It's a great, easy dish to make and put in the middle of the table for guests to help themselves

Published: April 14, 2020 at 9:43 am

Try this summery take on a lamb biryani, or check out our vegetable biryani recipe here.

Ingredients

onion 1 large, roughly chopped
garlic 3 cloves, roughly chopped
ginger 5cm chunk, peeled and roughly chopped
green chillies 3, roughly chopped
natural yogurt 6 tbsp
lamb neck 1kg, cut into chunks
basmati rice 350g
dill 2 small bunches, chopped
coriander a small bunch, chopped
butter 100g, melted
chilli powder 2 tsp
cardamom pods 6, seeds removed and ground
cinnamon stick 1, broken in half
cloves 6, ground
garam masala 2 tsp
saffron a good pinch, soaked in 3 tbsp boiling water
natural yogurt, naan breads and mango chutney or lime pickle to serve

Method

Step 1

Put the onion, garlic, ginger, chillies and yogurt in a small food processor and whizz to a purée. Tip into a bowl, add the lamb and mix. Leave to marinate for 2 hours.
Step 2

Rinse the rice a few times then drain well. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the rice then bring back to simmering and cook for 6 minutes. Drain. Mix in the dill and coriander.
Step 3

Heat a couple of spoonfuls of the butter in a pan. Cook all the spices apart from the garam masala and saffron for a few minutes. Tip in the lamb and marinade and fry, turning until the lamb starts to colour a little. Add a splash of water, cover and simmer gently for 1 hour. Stir in the garam masala.
Step 4

Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Melt the rest of the butter.
Step 5

Layer up the lamb, sauce and rice in an ovenproof casserole with a lid, drizzling with the rest of the butter as you go (try to leave the milky solids behind). Finish with a layer of rice then a final drizzle of butter, the saffron and its liquid. Cover tightly with a sheet of foil, put on the lid then bake for 30 minutes. Serve with extra yogurt, naan breads and mango chutney or lime pickle.