Hyderabadi lamb biryani is an amazingly delicious Indian dish with tender chunks of lamb in layers of fluffy rice, fragrant spices and fried onions. A much easier and authentic recipe presented step by step.
Heat the oil at medium high in a wide frying pan. If you place your palm about 3 inches over the surface of the oil, you should feel the heat. Or use a candy/fry thermometer.
Fry the onions in batches. Do not crowd the pan. Fry until they are crisp light golden brown. Set aside.
LAMB MEAT MARINATION
Combine meat with all the marinade ingredients up to oil and add ½ lemon juice, ½ herbs and ½ fried onions.
Grind all the biryani spices in a spice grinder, and add it to the meat/marinade and combine. Marinate overnight.
RICE PREPARATION
Rinse the basmati rice 4 to 5 times in plenty of water until it is clear. Drain well. Soak ½ cup basmati rice in water for about one hour. Save the rest.
Boil 12 cups of water with 2½ tablespoons salt, onion oil and whole spices (see note) in a large cooking pot. Add the rice and boil at medium high to high heat for 4 to 5 minutes until the grains are soft. Stir the rice while it is cooking. Drain rice in a colander and set aside.
ASSEMBLE RICE AND MEAT LAYERS
Transfer the meat with marinade to a 5 to 6 quart wide thick bottomed oven proof cooking pot.
Spread remaining herbs and most of the remaining fried onions over the marinade.
Drain the soaked basmati rice very well and spread it over the fried onion layer. This raw soaked rice will absorb the juices from the marinade.
Next, layer all the cooked rice. Sprinkle the remaining lemon juice, fried onions, saffron water and ghee over the rice.TIP: If you prefer, you may pick out the whole spices from the cooked rice before steaming.
FINAL STEAMING
Oven: Place parchment paper and then two sheets of aluminum foil over the cooking pot. Press the lid tight over it. Bake the lamb biryani in a preheated oven at 350ºF for one hour and 15 minutes, until the steam builds up well.
Stove Top (alternative): Use a thick bottomed cooking pot. Heat the biryani at medium high for about 10 to 15 minutes and then reduce the heat to the low setting and simmer for one hour and 15 minutes until the steam builds up well.
Let it cool five minutes and gently mix the rice and meat layers. Using a spatula, mound the biryani on a serving plate, making sure to present the rice in various colors — yellow, orange, white and brown. Place some lamb pieces on the top. Scatter fried onions, herbs, extra saffron rice on the top.
Serve it with Hyderabadi tomato egg curry, mirchi ka salan and/or a yogurt salad prepared with creamy yogurt, sliced red onions and cilantro.
Video
Notes
Fried Onions:
I used the 7.5 mm setting on my mandolin slicer to slice the onions finely.
Sprinkle some flour on the onions before frying, to make them fry quicker and crisper. If you use all purpose flour, then it will not be gluten free. Try corn starch or rice flour plus corn starch instead.
If you are unable to fry the onions as described in the recipe, at the very least make sure to sauté them until crisp golden brown like it is done in this Persian noodle soup recipe and adjust oil used for the recipe.
Chili Powder: I used Kashmiri chili powder as it is mild. If you prefer it hot, then use regular chili powder.
Basmati Rice:
Rinse it several times, until the water is clear and not starchy.
The idea is to cook the rice just enough, to be fluffy, be separate, retain shape and be firm.
The soaked rice should be drained well and not be too wet.
Marinade:
The meat should be optimally coated with the marinade.
If the marinade is excessive it can result in the rice becoming soggy.
Branded spice mixes may include salt and chili powder. If they are used to substitute the biryani spices in the recipe, then the salt and chili powder should be adjusted accordingly.
Whole spices can be cooked wrapped in a muslin cloth, like the one used for bouquet garni or a metal mesh cooking infuser. If using whole spices for the marinade, just double the amount of spices in the recipe. When the spices are ground, the flavors are more intense.
Using the optimal amount of salt and oil is very important. If everything else is right and you don't use appropriate amount of salt, that alone can ruin the taste of the biryani.
Lamb:
It is very important to use young lamb shoulder or leg, with bone, cut and clean. You can add some marrow bones and lamb chops as well.
If you use meat from mature lamb, it will need more cooking time. So, you could first cook the marinated meat at low medium setting, until 50% done and then top with rice and steam it.
Make Ahead: The onions can be fried ahead, wrapped in paper towels and packed in airtight containers or ziplock bags. Spice mixes can be made in bulk and stored in airtight glass containers for one to two months.
Storage and Freezing: Biryani freezes very well. Leftovers can be stored in refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or frozen for later.
Ghee is available at regular supermarkets and Indian grocery stores. Make it at home from butter following the instructions in this chickpea cookie recipe notes section.
Shajeera: These may be referred to as black cumin or black caraway seeds in Indian stores. The labeling is not consistent. Ask your Indian grocer for “shahjeera”. You can make this in a slow cooker as well.