October 13, 2007
Lamb Biryani
This is a fantastic recipe that my parents have saved over the years - well worth the effort!
Ingredients:
1 ½ pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 ½-inch cube of peeled ginger, quartered
6 garlic cloves
20 peppercorns
12 cloves
10 cardamom pods worth of seeds
1 tsp cumin seed
¾ tsp coriander seed
¼ tsp mace
¼ whole nutmeg
1 ½-inch cinnamon stick
1 cup ghee or vegetable oil
1 ½ + ½ cups onion, thinly sliced
½ cup plain yogurt
½ cup sour cream
¼ tsp saffron threads
2 tbsp warm milk
1 ½ cup basmati rice
¼ cup shelled pistachio nuts
¼ cup sliced blanched almonds
¼ cup golden rasins
2 hard boiled large eggs, quartered
Directions:
1. Sprinkle lamb with salt, let it stand on paper towels for 30 minutes and pat it dry.
2. With the motor running in a food processor fitted with the steel blade or a blender add and mince fine the ginger and garlic. With the motor still running, add 1/3 cup water in a stream and blend the mixture until it is a thin paste.
3. In a spice or coffee grinder, pulverize the peppercorn, cloves, cardamom, cumin, coriander, mace, nutmeg and cinnamon.
4. In a large heavy skillet, brown the lamb in batches in ½ cup of ghee over moderately high heat and transfer it with tongs as it is browned to a bowl. Add 1 ½ cup onion to the skillet and cook it over moderate heat, stirring until it is golden brown. Add the garlic ginger paste and cook the mixture, stirring until the liquid is evaporated and the oil separates from the mixture. Add the spice mixture and cook the mixture, stirring constantly and being careful not to let the spices burn, for 2 minutes or until the spices turn several shades darker. If the mixture sticks to the bottom of the skillet, stir in 1-2 tbsp water. Add the yogurt and sour cream and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring. Add the lamb and any juices that have accumulated in the bowl, simmer the mixture, covered, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes or until the lamb is just tender and transfer the lamb with tongs to a bowl. Reduce the sauce over moderately high heat, stirring constantly, to about 1 cup, add it to the lamb, and stir the mixture to coat the lamb with the sauce. (The lamb mixture can be made up to this point 24 hours in advance and kept in the bowl, covered and chilled.)
5. Toast saffron and combine them in a small dish with the milk and let the mixture stand for 30 minutes or until it is bright yellow.
6. In a large bowl, cover rice, well picked over, with cold water, stir the mixture, and pour off the water. Continue to wash the rice in the same manner until the water runs clear. Add enough water to cover the rice by 1 inch, let the rice stand for 30 minutes, and drain it well.
7. In a heatproof bowl, pour boiling water to cover over the pistachios, let the nuts stand for 1 minute, and drain them in a sieve. Turn the nuts out onto a tea towl and immediately rub off the skins.
8. Transfer the lamb mixture to a flame-proof casserole just large enough to hold it in one layer and heat it over low heat until it is hot. Sprinkle the rice into a kettle of boiling salted water, stirring and boil it for 5 minutes. Drain the rice, arrange it over the lamb in the casserole, and drizzle the saffron mixture in a zigzag over it. Immediately cover the casserole tightly with foil and the lid and bake the mixture in a preheated slow oven (300o F) for 30 minutes.
9. In a large heavy stainless steel or enameled skillet heat ½ cup ghee over moderately high heat until it is hot, add ½ cup onion, halved, and sauté them until they are golden brown. Transfer the onions with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Add almonds to the skillet, sauté them until they are golden, and transfer them with the slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Add the pistachios to the skillet, sauté them until they are lightly golden, and transfer them with the slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Add raisins to the skillet, sauté them until they are plumped, and transfer them with the slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
10. Transfer the rice to the center of a heated large platter, fluffing it with a fork. Arrange the lamb mixture around the rice and garnish the biryani with the hard boiled eggs, the almonds, the pistachio nuts, the raisins and the onions. Serve the biryani with raita, banana tamarind chutney and lime pickle.
Serves 4
Source Gourmet, February 1981
