Bangladeshi Lamb Biryani Recipe 445

Steps:

• Place the basmati rice in a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let stand 30 minutes. Drain.
• Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet over medium heat; fry the cloves, cardamom pods, and cinnamon sticks in the hot oil until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the onions; cook and stir until the onions are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir the garlic paste and ginger paste into the onion mixture; cook until the garlic and ginger is fragrant, about 1 minute more. Sprinkle the cilantro and mint over the mixture and cook 1 minute more.
• Add the lamb chops to the skillet; season with salt. Cook and stir the lamb until the meat begins to brown, about 20 minutes.
• Stir the tomatoes, green chile peppers, and ground red pepper into the mixture; continue cooking until the oil begins to separate from the gravy, about 10 minutes. Add the yogurt and lemon juice; cover and cook until the lamb is tender, about 15 minutes. Add water as needed to keep the mixture from getting too dry.
• Bring the rice, 7 1/2 cups water, and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil in a saucepan until the rice is nearly done yet a little chewy, 10 to 15 minutes; drain any excess water.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small skillet; fry the sliced onion in the hot oil until lightly browned.
• Layer about half the rice in the bottom of a deep pot with a lid. Spoon the lamb masala over the rice. Spread the fried onion over the lamb masala. Top with the remaining rice. Stir the saffron and warm milk together in a small bowl; pour over the top layer of rice. Cover the pot with the lid and place the pot over low heat; cook until the rice is thoroughly cooked, about 15 minutes.

Steps:

• For the pilau, wash the rice under running cold water until the water runs clear. Soak in enough cold water to cover the rice and set aside.
• Put the lamb in a pressure cooker (or standard pan if you are not using a pressure cooker). Add the onions, garlic, ginger, bay, cinnamon sticks, cardamom and 2 tsp salt. Mix thoroughly, cover the pressure cooker and secure the lid, and cook for 20-25 mins on low once the pressure has been reached (no need to add water). Or if you're using a pan on the hob, cook the meat over a low heat for 1-1½ hrs, adding a splash of water before and during cooking, if needed. If you're using a pressure cooker, while the meat cooks, you can prepare the ingredients for the pilau. If you're cooking it on the hob, wait until the meat is almost cooked before you start.
• For the pilau, heat the vegetable oil in another large saucepan and add the 4 tbsp of ghee. Once the ghee has fully melted and the oil is hot, add the ginger and brown over a medium-high heat, stirring continuously for 10 mins. Stir in the onions and fry, uncovered, over a medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden.
• Remove the lid from the lamb and check the meat, allowing all the steam to escape before removing the lid if using a pressure cooker. You should see the fat bubbling around the edges of the pan to indicate the meat has cooked enough. Transfer to a large saucepan, if needed, put the pan on the hob and add the curry powder, coriander, jeera (cumin), turmeric and the 4 tbsp ghee.
• Mix the spices and ghee, cover and allow the meat to cook for a further 15-20 mins, stirring now and then. In a pressure cooker, the liquid doesn't evaporate and the spices will not roast well, so this needs to be done on the hob.
• Once the onions for the pilau are golden brown, add the whole spices. Fry for a couple of mins before adding the soaked and drained rice. Add 1 tsp of salt, and fry over a medium heat for 8-10 mins, stirring to prevent the rice sticking. Add the whole green chillies.
• Check the meat and test for tenderness, if you're happy with it, add it to the fried rice; or turn off the rice and keep cooking the meat until tender, then heat up the rice and add the meat.
• Fry the meat with the rice for several mins over a medium heat stirring frequently, then turn the heat up to high. Add some boiling water to the pan you cooked the meat in to extract any fat/flavour, then add this to the pilau. You should hear the water sizzle as it hits the pan, if you don't hear this, you haven't heated the pan up enough (this is important for a fluffy pilau).
• Keeping the heat on high, top up the pilau with enough boiling water from your kettle and stir with a wooden spoon to ensure water reaches the bottom of the pan. Season the water to taste - it should taste salty. Add enough boiling water to just cover the rice and meat - you will need roughly 1 litre.
• Cover the pan and keep boiling on high for 5 mins, then turn the heat down to medium and simmer for a further 5-7 mins. Uncover and check to see if all the water has been absorbed, if not, help disperse the water to the bottom of the pan by lifting the rice from the edges of the pan with a wooden spoon and stirring the water into the rice.
• Finally, turn the heat down to low, cover the pilau with some foil and place the lid over the top. The foil traps the steam in and allows the moisture to drip back into the pilau as it cooks so it should not require any extra water. Leave to cook for a further 12-15 mins or until the rice is soft when pressed between your fingers. Dot some extra ghee over the top if you like, and cover with a lid to melt, then serve.

Steps:

• Toss the lamb in a bowl with the garlic, ginger and a large pinch of salt. Marinate in the fridge overnight or for at least a couple of hours.
• Heat the oil in a casserole. Fry the lamb for 5-10 mins until starting to brown. Add the onion, cumin seeds and nigella seeds, and cook for 5 mins until starting to soften. Stir in the curry paste, then cook for 1 min more. Scatter in the rice and curry leaves, then pour over the stock and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• Stir in the paneer, spinach and some seasoning. Cover the dish with a tight lid of foil, then put the lid on to ensure it's well sealed. Cook in the oven for 20 mins, then leave to stand, covered, for 10 mins. Bring the dish to the table, remove the lid and foil, scatter with the coriander and chillies and serve with yogurt on the side.

Steps:

• Prepare the lamb marinade: Add the finger chiles, garlic and ginger to a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add the onions and tomatoes, process until smooth, and scrape into a bowl that will hold all the lamb and fit in your fridge. Add the yogurt, mint, cilantro, coriander, cumin, chile powder, turmeric and salt, and stir to combine. Add the lamb to the bowl and toss to coat in the marinade, then cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Prepare the fried onions: In a Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat the oil over medium. Add the onions, season with salt, and sauté until browned, stirring occasionally, 25 to 30 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer fried onions to a paper towel-lined plate. Using your hands, pull apart the fried onions to separate to prevent them from sticking together, and set aside.
• Add the cinnamon, peppercorns, cloves and cardamom to the remaining hot oil, and fry over medium until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the meat, its marinade and 1 cup water, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender and the sauce is very thick and dark, about 2 1/2 hours, adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a low simmer. Stir in the garam masala and taste, adjusting with salt and chile powder as needed. Set aside.
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the rice: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and add the rice. Stir well and cook for 3 minutes, transfer to a colander in the sink to drain. Run some cool water on top to cool the rice; set aside.
• Prepare the saffron milk for assembly: Warm the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat just until it steams. Remove from heat and add the saffron, crumbling it with your fingertips as you drop it into the milk. Set aside.
• In a large, heavy, lidded pot, add about a third of the meat mixture in an even layer covering the bottom of the pot. Sprinkle the meat with a third of the herbs and a third of the rice, assembling lightly without packing the layers. Drizzle 2 tablespoons saffron milk over the rice and add about a third of the fried onions. Build two more layers of meat, herbs, rice, saffron milk and onions. Top with pats of butter and cover the pot with foil.
• Put the lid on the pot of rice, transfer to the oven and bake until piping hot, about 1 hour. Let rest for about 10 minutes, then serve hot, digging all the way to the bottom of the pot with the serving spoon. To reheat, warm the biryani covered in the oven, or microwave.