Lamb Biryani

Dinner | Indian

Prep time: 1 min Cook time: 2 min Servings: 6

Lucknowi Biryani is a North Indian rice dish. It’s a refined, aromatic biryani where marinated meat (usually lamb) is cooked low and slow, then layered with par-cooked basmati rice, saffron milk, and rose water. It uses the dum method: once the lamb and par-cooked rice are layered in the pot, the lid is sealed with a tea towel and the entire dish steams in its own moisture over a low heat.

The lamb is cooked first as a braise in a spiced sauce. That sauce is then sieved, the fat is skimmed off and reserved, and both the clarified sauce and the reserved fat are returned to the layering. The saffron milk and rosewater are distributed between the rice layers before the pot is sealed, which gives the biryani its signature golden patches and floral fragrance.

The cook has several distinct stages and the timing between them matters. The onions need to cook to a deep golden brown before anything else goes in. The ginger-garlic paste and the whole spice mix are made fresh. The lamb braises for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The basmati is par-cooked to 70-80% and spread on a tray to stop it cooking further. Then the layering happens and the pot goes on for the final dum. A tea towel under the lid traps steam without letting condensation drip back down onto the rice.

Ingredient Notes

Aged basmati rice: Aged basmati has lower moisture content than freshly harvested basmati, which means the grains absorb liquid more slowly and stay firm and separate during the dum cook. Fresh basmati grains cook faster and are more likely to clump or become soft under steam. Look for aged basmati at Indian or Asian grocery stores. The labelling usually specifies aging (1-year or 2-year aged). The difference in the finished dish is significant, particularly in the texture of the rice layers.

Kashmiri chilli powder: Kashmiri chilli is a variety of dried red chilli known more for the deep red-orange colour it produces than for its heat, which is considerably milder than regular chilli powder. It’s what gives the lamb sauce its characteristic colour. Substituting with standard chilli powder will make the dish noticeably hotter without the same visual result. Use half the quantity if substituting, or combine regular chilli powder with a little sweet paprika to approximate both the colour and the heat level.

Blade mace: Mace is the dried lacy red aril that grows around the nutmeg seed. In blade form it comes as flat, brittle, amber-coloured pieces. The flavour is similar to nutmeg but slightly more delicate and floral. One blade goes into the spice grinder with the other whole spices for this recipe. Find it at Indian grocery stores or spice shops. If you can’t source blade mace, a pinch of ground mace or a small amount of freshly grated nutmeg works as a substitute.

Equipment

Chopping board
Chef’s knife
Large heavy-based pot with lid (braising and dum)
Small food processor (ginger-garlic paste and spice mix)
Large saucepan (par-cooking rice)
Sieve
Large tray (cooling par-cooked rice)
Clean tea towel (for sealing the pot)

Ingredients

60ml (¼ cup) peanut oil (or other neutral oil)
2 red onions, thinly sliced
Sea salt, to season
8cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
8-10 cloves garlic, smashed
1 cinnamon stick, broken
2 dried bay leaves
1 blade mace
6 green cardamom
2 black cardamom
6 cloves
10 black peppercorns
½ piece fresh nutmeg, chopped
½ tsp cumin seeds
1kg (2.2 lbs) lamb shoulder, diced
2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
140g (½ cup) yoghurt
250ml (1 cup) milk
60ml (¼ cup) milk, warmed
8-10 strands saffron
1 tsp rose water
Rice
500g (2½ cups) aged Basmati rice
1 small green chilli
1 bay leaf
3 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 black cardamom
3 green cardamom
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
sea salt, to taste

Directions

Cook the onions
Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large heavy-based pot over medium heat.
Add the onions and season with salt. Saute for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until a deep golden brown colour.
Make the ginger garlic paste and spice mix
Meanwhile, place the ginger and garlic in a small food processor with the remaining peanut oil. Process until a smooth paste (you are aiming for a 50/50 ratio of ginger to garlic).
Combine the cinnamon, bay leaves, mace, cardamom, cloves, peppercorns, nutmeg and cumin seeds in a spice grinder. Process to a powder.
Cook the lamb
Add the lamb to the onions, season with some salt and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lamb starts to change colour.
Add the spice mix and a heaped tablespoon of the ginger garlic paste. Cook, stirring, until the spices have bloomed and the fat from the lamb has started to render.
Stir in the Kashmiri chilli powder until well combined. Then add the yoghurt and milk, stirring to combine, and bring to a simmer.
Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the lamb is tender, but still retains some bite.
Cook the rice
Rinse the rice 3 times, until the water runs clear, then soak in clean water for 25 minutes.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the chilli, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and ginger-garlic paste.
Cook the rice for 6-7 minutes, until the rice is between 70-80% cooked. Strain the rice and spread out on a large tray to cool.
Layer the biryani
Add the warmed milk to a small bowl or jug and add the saffron. Stir gently and set aside to steep.
Sieve out the lamb from the sauce using a slotted spoon. Pass the sauce through a sieve and set aside for 10 minutes to allow the fat to settle on the top.
Skim the fat off and reserve for later. Return the sauce and lamb to the pot.
Add a layer of half the rice, removing any of the whole spices. Sprinkle over half of the rosewater, then some of the reserved fat and half of the saffron milk.
Repeat with the remaining rice, rosewater, fat and saffron milk.
Final cook and serve
Cover the pot with a clean tea towel then the lid, securing the tea towel to the top of the lid.
Place the pot over a high heat for 10 minutes, then place it over a medium-low to low heat for 35-40 minutes. You should aim for an even distribution of heat across the pot (see notes).
Remove from the heat and set aside for 10 minutes still covered.
Uncover and fluff up the rice a little, then begin layering the biryani on a serving platter.

Recipe notes

Chef Tips

Cook the onions to a deep golden brown

The onions form the flavour base for the lamb, so they need to be taken all the way to a deep golden brown before anything else goes in. This takes 8-10 minutes over medium heat. If you rush them and add the lamb too early, you lose the sweetness that carries through the finished biryani. Stir occasionally to prevent the bottom catching, but let them colour properly. Pale golden onions will give you a noticeably flatter result.

Par-cook the rice to exactly 70-80%

The rice finishes cooking during the dum, so it needs to go in undercooked. At 70-80% the grains should be tender on the outside but still have a firm, chalky core when you bite them. Cook time is 6-7 minutes in well-salted boiling water. Strain and spread immediately on a large tray to stop the cooking. The surface drying slightly on the tray also helps the grains stay separate during layering rather than clumping together.

Storage

Store leftover biryani in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently with a splash of water or milk added, covered tightly, either on the stovetop over low heat or in the oven at 150°C for 15-20 minutes. Do not freeze: the rice grains break down when frozen and thawed and lose their texture entirely. The lamb component can be frozen separately for up to 2 months if needed.

FAQs

Can I substitute the lamb? Yes. Goat and mutton are both traditional in many versions of this biryani and work well. Bone-in cuts such as goat shoulder or mutton chops add more flavour to the sauce. Ask your butcher to cut them into smaller portions. The braise time stays at 45 minutes to 1 hour for boneless and may be slightly longer for bone-in cuts depending on the size.

Can I make it ahead of time? Yes, in stages. The lamb can be braised, the sauce sieved and the fat skimmed up to 2 days in advance and kept covered in the fridge. The rice needs to be par-cooked fresh before layering. Assemble and do the final dum close to serving time for the best result.

What is a tawa and do I need one? A tawa is a flat Indian griddle placed under the pot during the dum to distribute heat evenly across the base and prevent the bottom layer of rice from scorching. A flat grill pan or cast iron skillet placed over a gas burner achieves the same result. On induction, the even heat distribution of the cooktop makes a tawa unnecessary. The recipe uses a tea towel under the lid rather than a tawa for the home cook setup.