Friday 23 June 2017

Sindhi Lamb Chop Biryani.



Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

It's my new favourite biryani!
Which is crazy because I didn't think that my old favourite could have been beaten.
But it has been and I'm sharing the recipe with you guys today.
But first, are you guys ready for the end of Ramadan? I always feel a little sad at the end. The month is so unique and no other time of year can compare to it. I'll admit the routine is a little crazy and I am secretly looking forward to things getting back to normal. But that's the beauty of this sacred month. We have to sacrifice our food and sleep to get so much reward in return. May Allah accept Ramadan from us all - ameen.
And speaking of the end of Ramadan, are you guys ready for Eid? I wish they would announce what day its going to be on. But I suppose for that to happen, the moon has to be sighted. Well, whether it's Sunday or Monday, I'm ready with my menu. I'll be sharing it in detail after Eid but I can say that the star this year is going to be lamb.
And, if you want lamb to be the star of your Eid table, may I suggest this Sindhi lamb chop biryani? Seriously, it has so much flavour. It's tangy, sour, spicy, meaty all in one go. Finished with fresh mint, lemon, saffron and rose water, I think it would be perfect as the centrepiece to your Eid-ul-Fitr this year.
A Simple List of Ingredients:
1. Potatoes
2. Green Chillies
3. Red Onions
4. Tomatoes
5. Garlic
6. Ginger
7. Mace
8. Black Cardamoms
9. Green Cardamoms
10. Cinnamon Sticks
11. Bay Leaves
12. Star Anise
13. Fennel Seeds
14. Cumin Seeds
15. Coriander Seeds
16. Vegetable Oil
17. Basmati Rice
18. Lamb Chops
19. Ground Turmeric
20. Red Chilli Powder
21. Natural Yoghurt
22. Dried Pomegranate Powder
23. Dried Plums
24. Salt

To Steam the Biryani:
1. Saffron Strands
2. Hot Milk
3. Rose Water
4. Butter
5. Lemon
6. Fresh Mint

Bismillah, let's begin!

Let's start by par-boiling our potatoes. This will give them a head start before they go into the biryani. Take 10 small Potatoes.

Give them a peel and slice into equal sized chunks.

Wash them and place in a pan. Add enough cold water to cover them and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, let the potatoes cook for 3 minutes or until partly cooked through.

Leave to drain and set aside until needed.

Next, the rice. I used 340g Basmati Rice. As this is quite an intensely spiced biryani, you may use more if you wish.

Wash the rice in a few changes of cold water until the water runs as clear as you can get it. 

Cover the rice with enough cold water to cover and let it soak for at least 30 minutes.

Once the rice has soaked, bring a large pan of water to the boil. I find that the water boils faster if you cover the pan with a lid.

When the water has come to a boil ...

... drain and add in the rice. The water will stop bubbling so wait until it starts boiling again before ...

... setting a timer 3 minutes.

Let the rice boil for 3 minutes then check a grain of rice. It should break but still be slightly hard and not something you would want to eat - which is exactly what we want!

Drain the rice well and set aside until needed.

Next, let's make the biryani masala. Take a large pan and place over a medium heat. Add 60ml Vegetable Oil and let it heat up. The pan should be big enough to fit all your lamb and rice later on.

Next, whole spices! I know that some people are a bit fussy with whole spices. I used to be one of them! Out of all these spices, the only one that can be a little irritating when actually eating the biryani is the coriander seeds. So, if you have fussy eaters, leave the seeds out and add a little ground coriander later on. 

Once the oil is hot, add in:
2 Cinnamon Sticks
2 Bay Leaves
3 Star Anise
1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds
2 teaspoons Cumin Seeds
2 teaspoons Coriander Seeds
1 piece of Mace
2 Black Cardamoms
6 Green Cardamoms

Let them fry in the hot oil for a few minutes until fragrant and sizzling.

Then, it's time to add in the onions. I used 4 medium Red Onions.

Give them a peel and a thin slice. Throw them on in!

Stir fry until light brown.

Next, the ginger and garlic. I used 1 Garlic Bulb and 1 large piece of Ginger.

Give them a peel.

And, a crush!

Add them to the pan.

Stir fry until fragrant.

Next, the lamb! I used 8 large Lamb Chops, on the bone. The total weight was 800g and you could replace them with the same amount of lamb pieces.

Add the lamb chops to the pan.

Fry until the lamb has lost its pink colour. Add a splash of water, if things stick.

Next, take 4 Tomatoes.

Give them a thin slice and throw them on in.

Stir in the tomatoes.

Then, it's time for the ground spices. Add in 1 and 1/2 teaspoons Red Chilli Powder. You can add more or less, if you wish.

And, 1/2 teaspoon Ground Turmeric.

Next, dried pomegranate powder. This will give our biryani such a tangy flavour. So good!

Add in 1 and 1/2 tablespoons Dried Pomegranate Powder.

Along with 2 teaspoons Salt.

Next, dried plums (alu bukhara). These can be bought in Asian stores. They have stones in them so be careful while eating.

Add in 15 washed Dried Plums. 

Next, green chillies. I added a total of 6 in this biryani.

3 thinly sliced Green Chillies go in now!

Stir everything together.

Add in a little splash of water to loosen things up.

Then, stir fry over a medium heat until the oil rises and the tomatoes are soft - about 10 minutes or so.

Next, a biryani needs yoghurt.

Turn the heat to the lowest and add in 4 tablespoons Natural Yoghurt.

Stir in the yoghurt and then turn up the heat. Stir fry until the oil rises to the surface.

Add a little more water to loosen the sauce and help the lamb cook. 

Bring everything to a boil.

Then, cover with a lid and turn the heat right down. Cook until the lamb chops are fully cooked. For me, this took around 45-55 minutes. Give everything a stir every now and then so nothing sticks.

Once the lamb is cooked, uncover.

Taste the masala for spice and salt. Adjust as needed. The masala should be slightly saltier than usual because it has to flavour all the rice and potatoes.

Next, add in the potatoes from earlier.

Along with 3 more thinly sliced Green Chillies. This is optional.

Gently stir in the potatoes.

Now, it's time to steam the biryani. I like to add a small splash of water around the edges of the pan which will stop the biryani sticking to the pan.

On top of your masala ...

... evenly place on the rice from earlier.

Then, stir together a large pinch of Saffron Strands with 5 tablespoons Hot Milk.

Drizzle over the rice.

For a little floral flavour, rose water! You could also use kewra water.

Drizzle over 1 and 1/2 tablespoons Rose Water.

Then, take 70g cubed Butter.

Dot them over the rice.

Slice up 1 Lemon.

Dot the sliced lemon over the rice.

Finally, take a handful of Fresh Mint Leaves.

Sprinkle over the mint leaves.

To steam the biryani, cover the pan with a lid and place a heavy object on top to help keep the steam in. Turn the heat to the highest until you can hear the biryani bubble and the steam build. Then, turn the heat to the lowest and let the biryani steam for 15-20 minutes until the rice is cooked through.

Let the biryani sit for a few minutes then ...

... gently toss and serve!

This biryani is my new favourite rice dish. It's really tangy, spicy and well flavoured. Perfect for your Eid table!

Sindhi Lamb Chop Biryani.

Prep Time: About 35 minutes.
Cook Time: About 2 hours.
Serves: About 5 people.

Ingredients

10 small Potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
340g Basmati Rice
60ml Vegetable Oil
2 Cinnamon Sticks
2 Bay Leaves
3 Star Anise
1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds
2 teaspoons Cumin Seeds
2 teaspoons Coriander Seeds
1 piece of Mace
2 Black Cardamoms
6 Green Cardamoms
4 medium Red Onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1 Garlic Bulb, peeled and crushed
1 large piece of Ginger, peeled and crushed
8 large Lamb Chops, on the bone (800g)
4 Tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 and 1/2 teaspoons Red Chilli Powder
1/2 teaspoon Ground Turmeric
1 and 1/2 tablespoons Dried Pomegranate Powder
2 teaspoons Salt plus more, if needed
15 Dried Plums, washed (Alu Bukhara)
6 Green Chillies, thinly sliced
Water, as needed
4 tablespoons Natural Yoghurt

To Steam the Biryani
Large pinch of Saffron Strands
5 tablespoons Hot Milk
1 and 1/2 tablespoons Rose Water
70g Butter, cubed
1 Lemon, sliced into rounds which are then cut in half
Handful Fresh Mint Leaves

Par-boil the potatoes:
Put the potatoes in a pan and add enough cold water to cover. Bring to the boil then let the potatoes boil for 3 minutes until partly cooked through. Leave to drain and set aside until needed.

Soak the rice:
Wash the rice in a few changes of water until the water runs as clear as you can get it. Cover the rice with enough cold water to cover and let it soak for at least 30 minutes.

Par-boil the rice:
Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Drain and add the rice. Bring the water back to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Check a rice grain - it should break but still be slightly hard. Drain well and set aside until needed.

Cook the lamb chop biryani masala:
Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan over a medium heat. When it's hot, add in the cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, star anise, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, mace, black cardamoms and green cardamoms. Fry for a few minutes until fragrant.

Add in the sliced red onions and stir fry until light brown. Add in the crushed garlic and ginger and stir fry until fragrant.

Add in the lamb chops and fry until they have lost their pink colour. Add a splash of water, if things stick. Next, stir in the sliced tomatoes.

Then, add in the red chilli powder, ground turmeric, dried pomegranate powder, salt, dried plums and 3 sliced green chillies. Stir fry until the oil rises and the tomatoes are soft - about 10 minutes. Add water to loosen, if needed.

Turn the heat to the lowest and add in the yoghurt. Stir in the yoghurt before turning the heat up and stir frying until the oil rises to the surface. Add a little more water, to loosen and help the lamb cook. Bring to the boil and then cover with a lid. Turn the heat right down and cook the lamb chops for 45-55 minutes until fully cooked.

Taste the masala for salt and adjust as needed. It should be slightly saltier than usual because it has to flavour and season all the rice and potatoes. Stir in the potatoes and 3 more sliced green chillies.

Steam the biryani:
Add a small splash of water around the edges which will stop the biryani sticking to the pan. Cover the masala with the rice. Mix the saffron and hot milk together before drizzling over the rice. Drizzle over the rose water. Place on the butter, lemon slices and mint leaves.

Cover the pan with a lid and place a heavy object on top to help keep the steam in. Turn the heat to the highest until you can hear the biryani bubble and the steam build. Then, turn the heat to the lowest and let the biryani steam for 15-20 minutes until the rice is cooked through.

Serve:
Let the biryani sit for a few minutes then gently toss and serve.

Recipe Notes

  • You can leave the potatoes out, if you wish.
  • You can add more rice, if you wish.
  • You can use the same amount (800g) of lamb pieces instead of chops, if you wish.

Keep me in your duas please, and enjoy your biryani!

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!


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