Biryani - Spiced Rice with Lamb

Biryani is a fragrant mixture of meat, spices, nuts and saffron rice. The traditional meat in a Biryani is lamb, but today prawns, chicken or other meats are also used by Indian cooks. It can be served as a main dish. The quantity of meatis double that of the rice and therefore is a complete meal. Serve with chutney and kachumber (diced cucumber, tomato and onion salsa) and raita.
This is a popular dish at Indian parties and in formal entertaining in India.
This recipe is hard to make and takes a lot of effort and skill।

Ingredients - Serves 6

8 tablespoons butter or cookingoil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds

2 lb। lean boned lamb, cut into 1 -inch cubes

4-inch piece of cinnamon stick

10 cloves

8 peppercorns1 teaspoon cardamom seeds

10 fl। oz। [1 1/4 cups] yogurt

2 teaspoons salt

1 lb।[2 2/3 cups] basmati rice, washed, soaked in cold water for 30 minutes and drained

½ teaspoon saffron threads soaked in 2 tablespoons boiling water for 10 minutes

2 onions,thinly sliced

1 ½ oz।[1/3 cup] almonds,

silvered1 ½ oz।[1/3 cup]

pistachio nuts2 oz।

[1/3 cup] sultanas or raisins

Preparation

In a large saucepan,heat 4 tablespoons of the butter or cooking oil over moderate heat.
Add the garlic,ginger,cayenne pepper and cumin seeds to the pan. Fry for 3 minutes. Raise the heat to moderately high, add the lamb cubes and fry for 10 to 15 minutes or until they are evenly browned . Stir in the cinnamon,cloves.peppercorns,cardamom,yogurt and 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix well and add 5 fluid ounces[5/8 cup] of water. Bring the mixture to the boil. Reduce the heat to low , cover the pan and simmer for 40 minutes or until the lamb is tender.
In a second saucepan, bring 3 pints of water to the boil over moderate heat. Add the remaining salt and pour in the rice
Boil briskly for 1 ½ minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, drain the rice thoroughly and set aside.
Preheat the oven to moderate 350 F (Gas Mark 4, 180 C).
Pour 1 tablespoon of butter or oil into a large ovenproof casserole dish. Put one third of the parboiled rice in the bottom of the casserole. Sprinkle one third of the saffron water over it . With a slotted spoon, remove one third of the lamb cubes from the saucepan and put them over the rice. Cover with another one –third of the rice sprinkled with saffron water. Remove all the remaining meat cubes from the pan with the slotted spoon and put them on top, then finish with a last layer of the remaining rice.Pour all the liquid left in the saucepan in which the lamb was cooked carefully over the rice and meat. Sprinkle the remaining saffron water over the top layer of rice.
Cover the casserole with aluminium foil. Place the casserole in the oven and cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until the rice is cooked and has absorbed all the liquid.
In a small frying-pan, heat the remaining butter or oil over high heat. Add the onions, reduce the heat to moderate and, stirring frequently,fry for 8 to 10 minutes or until they are golden brown
With a slotted spoon, remove the onions and set aside on kitchen Paper towels to drain.
Add the almonds, pistachio nuts and sultanas or raisins to the pan, adding more butter or oil if necessary. Fry them for 3 minutes or until the nuts are lightly browned . With a slotted spoon, remove the mixture from the pan and set aside on a plate.
Pile the rice and lamb attractively on a large heated serving dish and sprinkle the top with the nuts, sultanas and onions. Serve immediately.
Biryani, a combination of rice and lamb, spices and yogurt, is one of the great classics of Indian cuisine.

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