Sindhi Lamb Biryani

Ingredients

For the Biryani masala

• 5 small onions, sliced
• 10 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp freshly minced ginger
• 0.5 cup full fat yogurt
• 500 grams lamb or mutton, bone in
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 7 green cardamom
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1 medium sized cinnamon stick
• 1 tbsp red chilli flakes
• 5 cloves
• 250 grams potatoes
• 10 dried plums

For the rice

• 2 cups white basmati rice
• 1 tbsp salt
• 10 green cardamoms
• 2 black cardamoms
• 1 bayleaf

For the garnish

• 0.5 bunch mint, chopped
• 0.5 bunch coriander, chopped
• 6 slices lemon
• 6 slices tomato
• 1 star anise
• 1 tbsp cumin
• a few pinches orange/yellow food colour
• 1 tsp kewara water

Instructions

For the potatoes

1. Halve and deep fry the potatoes until they are pretty much fully cooked, but careful not to overcook them! Set aside for late

For the Biryani masala

1. In a deep pot, heat the oil and add all the onions. Fry these on
   medium/high till they are golden brown. Remove 50% of these onions and
   set aside
2. In the pot with the remaining onions, add the minced garlic and ginger and cook till they turn golden
3. Add the lamb/mutton. Sear in the oil on high heat till it no longer remains pink
4. Add all the yogurt, dried plums and the spices. Saute this on high for a few minutes, then add about 3-4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover and then cook for 1-1.5 hour, till the lamb/mutton becomes tender. Mutton may take up to 1hr 45 minutes to become tender, but keep checking to make sure it doesn’t become too soft and starts falling off the bone.
5. Once the meat is tender, add in half a bunch of chopped mint, half a bunch of chopped coriander and the potatoes. Stir in and turn the heat off.

For the rice

1. In a separate pot, bring water to a boil alongside all the whole spices and the oil. There isn’t a set amount of water – just enough for the rice to cook in. Once the water is at a boil, add in the rice and boil rapidly for 5-7 minutes, till the rice is 75% cooked. Drain in a colander immediately

Assembling the Biryani

1. In a pot, layer half your biryani curry/masala
2. Then add half of your rice
3. Sprinkle over 2-3 pinches of food colouring and 1/2 tsp kewara water
4. Half of the reserved fried onions
5. 3 slices of lemon and 3 slices of tomatoes
6. 1/4 bunch of chopped mint and a 1/4 bunch chopped coriander
7. Repeat that layering process again
8. Now, turn the heat to the lowest possible setting, cover the Biryani and allow it to steam on low for about 15-20 minutes. Once steamed, allow it to rest for 15 minutes before serving.
9. Serve with raita and salad. I also like serving my Biryani with fried raisins and cashews. Enjoy and lap up the compliments!

Notes

You can grind the Biryani masala spices into a powder to avoid having lots of whole spices in your rice. Who likes biting into a clove? Yuck!