Shadi Faleel’s Hyderabad lamb biryani and Nawabi lamb korma recipes
In the second installment from her new book, Easy Indian Food Anyone Can Make, the author serves up a duo of regal lamb dishes
Hyderabad lamb biryani
A dish from the royal kitchens of Hyderabad, this slow-cooked biryani is known for its dum-style preparation, in which marinated lamb and fragrant rice are layered and cooked together to perfection.
Serves 5-6
Ingredients
For the lamb marinade
Juice of 1 lemon
750g lamb (leg is best), cut into 6cm chunks
½ tbsp salt
½ tbsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala
125ml vegetable oil
240ml natural yoghurt
4 tbsp ginger/garlic paste
25g coriander, chopped
7g mint, chopped
110g fried onions
4 tbsp ghee
5-6 tomatoes, chopped
40g biryani masala
1 tbsp kewra water or rose water
1 tsp meat tenderiser
For the rice
750g basmati rice
3-4 lemon slices
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp cumin seeds
4-5 green cardamom pods
4-5 cloves
1 stick of cinnamon
5-6 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
15g coriander, chopped
10g mint, chopped
1 tbsp vegetable oil
For layering
60g fried onions
A handful of mint leaves
15g coriander leaves, chopped
120 ml saffron-infused milk
2 tbsp melted ghee
1 tbsp kewra water
5-6 green chillies, sliced
Method
Squeeze the lemon juice over the lamb chunks and rub each individual piece thoroughly. Wash the lamb twice in running water and let it drain well. Transfer the meat to a mixing bowl and add the rest of the marinade ingredients. Mix everything well, then cover and let it marinate in the fridge for at least two hours or, ideally, overnight.
Wash the rice and soak in cold water for an hour.
Fill a large pan with hot water, then add the rest of the rice ingredients and bring to the boil. Add the soaked and drained rice and cook on a medium heat for five or six minutes, until it is half-cooked. Immediately drain in a large colander, reserving 250ml of the rice cooking water. Set the rice aside.
Add the reserved 250ml of rice water to the marinated lamb and transfer it to a wide 30cm pot. Cook the lamb on a medium heat for fiveor six minutes, then reduce to a low heat and add the parboiled rice, layering it with the fried onions, mint and coriander leaves. Poke holes through the rice down to the bottom of the pot, using the edge of a wooden spatula. Pour in the saffron milk, melted ghee and kewra water in circular motions. Cover the pot first with foil and then with a lid. Place a heavy object on top of the lid to trap all the air inside the pot.
Place a flat crêpe pan or frying pan on the heat and put the biryani pot on top of it. Cook for 20 minutes on a low heat, then turn off the heat and let it rest for 10 more minutes, still covered, so that it gets enough time to steam well. Then mix the layers, using a thin rice spatula or large spoon.
Nawabi lamb korma
Serves 4-5
Ingredients
For the dry-roast spice mix
1 tbsp cumin seeds
50g coriander seeds
1 tbsp ground black pepper
35g daria dal or chana dal
1 medium stick of cinnamon
4-5 green cardamom pods
1 black cardamom pod
1 star anise
4-5 cloves
6 round or 4 long dried red chillies
For the lamb
10 almonds
1kg lamb or mutton shoulder with bones, cut into 5cm pieces
1½ tbsp ginger and garlic paste
½ tbsp salt
1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder or paprika
100g fried onions, 125ml oil reserved
200ml natural yoghurt
1 small stick of cinnamon
2 bay leaves
3-4 cloves
3-4 green cardamom pods
1 black cardamom pod (optional)
650ml water
1 tbsp kewra water
To garnish
A handful of coriander leaves
A handful of fried onions (see tip below)
Slices of fresh ginger
Toasted almond flakes
To serve
Rice or naan
Mint yoghurt
Method
Nawabi lamb korma is a luxurious Mughlai-inspired curry of tender lamb slow-cooked in a creamy, spiced gravy. Fragrant with cardamom, cinnamon and an indulgently smooth yoghurt-based sauce, this is a regal dish, fit for any celebration.
Put all the spice mix ingredients into a pan and roast on a low heat for one or two minutes. Remove from the heat and let everything cool completely. Transfer to a dry coffee or spice blender and blend to a fine powder.
Soak the almonds in hot water for 10 minutes, then drain, peel off the skins and set aside.
Rinse the lamb twice and drain, then put it into a large bowl, add the ginger and garlic paste, salt, Kashmiri chilli powder and the blended spice powder and mix well. Now put the fried onion, yoghurt and soaked almonds into a blender and blend to a fine paste. Pour over the lamb and mix everything together until well combined.
Heat 125ml of the reserved fried onion oil in a pot, add the cinnamon, bay leaves, cloves and all the cardamoms and sauté for a few seconds until fragrant. Transfer the lamb to the pot along with all the marinade and cook on a high heat for 10-15 minutes. Add the water, then cover and cook on a low heat for 35-40 minutes, stirring regularly, until the lamb is tender and the oil has separated from the korma gravy.
Five minutes before turning off the heat, sprinkle over the kewra water.
Garnish with coriander leaves, slices of fresh ginger and more fried onions, and serve with rice or naan on the side.
Tip for fried onions
You may have fried onions already stored in the fridge or freezer, but if not, for this recipe you will need around three medium onions, thinly sliced, to get 100g of fried onions. Heat 250ml of vegetable oil to 170°C and deep-fry the onions for 4-5 minutes on a medium heat until golden brown. Remove from the oil, drain on kitchen paper and set aside, reserving the oil.
Easy Indian Food Anyone Can Make (£22 hardback) is published by Penguin Books.
