Speaking of lamb...

andycdn

Here's a recipe for an adventurous cook and diners, a lamb biryani. It will feed 8-10 people.

I'm new to this forum, so I'll try to put the file into this space or attach it. Wish me luck!

Andrew

An exotic, layered dish for 8-10 adventurous diners. You will need a large baking dish, preferably a deep casserole dish about 8 litres in capacity. This is a party meal!
Base:
1 lamb shoulder (around 2 kg), boned, trimmed and cubed
4 large onions, sliced
6 large cloves garlic, minced
butter for frying
2 limes
1/2 inch fresh ginger root, chopped
1 (or more, to taste) fresh hot pepper, diced
500 g yoghurt
3 cardamom pods, skins removed and seeds separated
1 tbsp whole coriander seeds
2 tbsp cumin seeds, lightly toasted
1 tbsp best curry powder
salt and pepper to taste
Topping:
2 cups basmati rice
2 large onions, sliced
6 large cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 inch fresh ginger root, chopped
butter for frying
2 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp best curry powder
1 cardamom pod
1 tbsp whole coriander
2 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp whole peppercorns
1 whole cinnamon stick
1 tsp whole cloves
3 bay leaves
1/2 lb butter, melted, to pour over
Preparation
Bone the lamb, trim and cube; place in a large bowl. Fry onions in butter over low heat, salting lightly and stirring occasionally. Allow the onions to become transparent, then brown slightly; add to lamb. Juice the limes and add the juice, along with yoghurt, ginger, hot pepper and garlic; stir to mix.
Put cardamom in mortar and circulate with pestle until husks separate from seeds. Remove husks and reduce seeds to an even powder. Set aside. Crush coriander; set aside; grind cumin seeds. In a small pan, melt 2 tbsp butter and add ground spices; a few minutes later, add the curry powder. Fry over medium heat until aromatic; add to lamb and yoghurt mixture and stir well. Cover the mixture and refrigerate for 4-6 hours (overnight is best).

Assembly and baking
Place lamb mixture in a large baking dish after stirring well. Lamb should take up about half of the dish. This is the first of two layers; now for the rice.
Fry onions, garlic and ginger in butter. In another small pan, dry-fry garam masala, curry powder and cumin seeds until aromatic.
Boil 4 litres of lightly salted water and add the basmati rice. Allow to return to boil, then drain immediately. Transfer to large bowl. Add onion mixture, fried spices and whole spices; stir well.
Spread rice mixture on top of lamb mixture in the casserole dish. Drizzle with melted butter. This may seem extreme, but it defines the dish.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 2 hours, then turn oven off. Leave dish in oven for a further two hours. The lamb will be butter-smooth, and the rice will form a delicious crispy crust, with fragrant innards I can?t describe.
Serving
Serve with chapatti, banana and cucumber raitas, hot lime pickle, garlic pickle, sweet mango chutney, sliced roasted almonds and a simple green salad. A lime mousse recipe is available on request!

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