Indian cuisine · Dough, Pasta & Rice

Lucknowi Biryani

Mild Awadhi biryani: the lamb is pre-cooked, the rice boiled in spiced water, and everything sealed with kewra.

Ingredients · for 6 servings

• 1 kg lamb shoulder (in pieces)
• 600 g basmati rice
• 250 g yogurt
• 3 large onions
• 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 4 cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon stick and 4 cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp saffron threads
• 100 ml milk
• 5 tbsp ghee
• 200 ml oil, salt

Instructions

1. Slice the onions into thin strips and deep-fry in the oil for 10–12 min until golden brown, drain, and mash half of them into a paste.
2. Bring the lamb to a simmer with 1 l water, the bay leaves, cinnamon stick with cloves, 2 cardamom pods and salt, and cook gently for 50 min until tender; collect the broth and reduce it to 400 ml.
3. Mix the yogurt with the onion paste and ginger-garlic paste, combine with the meat, and sear gently in 3 tbsp ghee for 8 min until the sauce clings to the meat.
4. Soak the rice for 30 min and boil in salted water with the remaining cardamom pods for just 5 min until soft outside but still firm at the core; drain.
5. Soak the saffron in the warm milk; layer the meat and rice in the pot, pour over the reduced broth, saffron milk, remaining ghee and fried onions, and seal airtight.
6. Dum-cook over the lowest heat for 35 min, rest for 10 min, and carefully fluff the rice so the long grains stay whole.