whole cloves

We have dear friends who are from India, and we have eaten biryani at their house many times, lovingly prepared by Jayshri. She usually makes it with goat meat. I found this recipe for lamb biryani in a beautiful cookbook called The Middle Eastern Kitchen by Rukmini Iyer. It was my first attempt at biryani and it was quite a project but it was well worth the effort. Just be aware this recipe will feed a crowd, so be prepared to have a Middle Eastern themed party!

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Lamb Biryani

Course

Main Dish

Cuisine

Middle Eastern

Prep Time

45 minutes

Cook Time

3 hours

Passive Time

3 hours

Servings

people

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup ghee or clarified butter
• 3 onions half thinly sliced, half finely chopped
• 3 pinches Kosher salt
• 2 pounds boneless leg of lamb cut into 1 ½ inch cubes
• 1 tbsp olive oil as needed
• 1 cinammon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 whole cloves
• 10 green cardamom pods
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 1¼ cups dried apricots
• large pinch of saffron threads
• 2 tbsp milk
• 2¼ cups basmati or other long grain rice
• 8½ cups boiling water
• ⅔ cup Greek style plain yogurt

Course Main Dish Cuisine Middle Eastern Prep Time 45 minutes Cook Time 3 hours Passive Time 3 hours Servings people Ingredients 1/3 cup ghee or clarified butter 3 onions half thinly sliced, half finely chopped 3 pinches Kosher salt 2 pounds boneless leg of lamb cut into 1 ½ inch cubes 1 tbsp olive oil as needed 1 cinammon stick 2 bay leaves 8 whole cloves 10 green cardamom pods 2 tsp ground ginger 2 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground coriander ½ tsp ground turmeric 1¼ cups dried apricots large pinch of saffron threads 2 tbsp milk 2¼ cups basmati or other long grain rice 8½ cups boiling water ⅔ cup Greek style plain yogurt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 300ºF. Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and salt to the skillet and sauté for10 minutes, until onions are golden and crispy. Transfer the onions to a plate, using a slotted spoon. Use the same pan to brown the lamb for 2 minutes a side, working in batches so the pan is not too crowded. Transfer lamb to a plate. Add oil if pan is getting too dry, between batches.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons ghee in a large dutch oven over low heat. Add the cinnamon, bay leaves, cloves, and cardamom pods and cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.Add the finely chopped onions and a pinch of salt, then cover and cook for 10 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally. Stir in the remaining spices and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the lamb and dried apricots, then remove from the heat.
3. Return the skillet to heat until hot. Pour in ½ cup of water and simmer for a few minutes, scraping up all the browned bits. Pour this into the spiced lamb. Add the remaining water to the lamb. Cover the dutch oven with aluminum foil and the lid, then transfer to the oven to bake for 1½ hours. Let cool. You can prepare the dish up to this point, then finish the next day.
4. Crumble the saffron threads in your hand. Warm the milk in a small saucepan, then add the saffron and let it steep.
5. Rinse the rice in several changes of cold water until the water runs clear, to remove as much starch as possible. Place rice in a large saucepan and cover with boiling water. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then drain well.
6. Stir the yogurt into the cooled lamb. Cover the bottom of a large casserole dish with a few tablespoons of the lamb sauce. Add a layer of the rice, sprinkle with a few teaspoons of the saffron milk and a pinch of salt and top with some crispy onions. Repeat layers until all ingredients are used, finishing with a drizzle of the saffron milk. Dot with remaining ghee, cover with foil and place lid on the casserole. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, then transfer to oven and bake for 40 minutes. Serve.

Recipe Notes

attributed to The Middle Eastern Kitchen by Rukmini Iyer.

Check out her blog Cooks, Writes and Eats

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