Indian Lamb Biryani is a casserole of tender lamb curry and fragrant saffron rice. Two outstanding dishes combined into one company worthy casserole. Serve with cooling cucumber raita on the side.
I had a very biryani week. Biryani is an Indian curry and rice casserole that I’ve been hearing about, thinking about, maybe even dreaming about – for a long time. Finally, this past week, I immersed myself in it. It started when I was invited by a friend to take a cooking class at Whole Foods and I got to choose the dish we cooked. I picked biryani. We learned to make a very tasty, quick biryani with boneless chicken and precooked rice.
After that I came home and pulled every international cookbook and Indian cookbook off my shelves… I scoured the internet….and the cooking began. My (poor? lucky?) family had Biryani for dinner three nights in a row – lamb, chicken, lamb. The lamb biryani was the unanimous winner. This is definitely not of the “quick and easy” genre of recipes, but it’s SO worth the effort!
This lamb biryani recipe consists of two distinct dishes – succulent lamb curry and aromatic rice. Each component is delicious in its own right, and then the two are layered together in a casserole and baked.
Saffron is one of the key flavors in Indian Lamb Biryani. It’s a beautiful, aromatic spice, that consists of the delicate stigmas of a crocus flower. It’s a very popular spice in Indian cuisine.
In this dish, saffron is used to infuse the rice with a beautiful yellow-orange color and that unique and exotic saffron flavor that words can’t describe. (Some say it tastes like a combination of honey and straw, but I don’t think that description does it justice.)
Saffron is one of the world’s most expensive spices but luckily it only takes a little bit to flavor the whole lamb biryani casserole.
This Lamb Biryani recipe is packed with deep and exciting flavors and a good amount of heat. It’s definitely dinner-party worthy!
I think it’s important to serve Lamb Biryani with a cooling, creamy, cucumber-mint raita to complement the heat of the dish. Your palate will thank you!
Here are a few more delicious Indian Recipes to try:
- Indian Chicken Biryani
- Saag Aloo: Indian Spinach and Potatoes
- Chicken Tikka Masala
- White Chicken Korma
Here’s the Indian Lamb Biryani Recipe. If you try this recipe, I hope you’ll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I’d love to know what you think.
Indian Lamb Biryani Recipe
Adapted from many sources but mostly from 600 Curries by Raghavan Lyer
Sumptuous casserole of tender lamb curry with saffron spiced rice with cucumber-mint raita on the side.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 mins
- Yield: 6-8 1x
- Category: Main Course - Dinner
- Method: stove top, oven
- Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless leg of lamb, fat trimmed off, cut into 1-inch cubes
- MARINADE INGREDIENTS for the lamb:
- 5 tablespoons peeled and roughly chopped fresh ginger root (5-inch by 2 inch piece or something comparable.)
- 6–7 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped (about 3 tablespoons)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- A few grinds of fresh ground black pepper
- SOAKING THE RICE Ingredients:
- 2 cups basmati rice (Indian is best)
- CURRY SAUCE Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium red or yellow onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 15-ounce cans tomato sauce
- 1/4 to 3/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (depending on how hot you like it)
- 1 tablespoon paprika (sweet, not hot)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- Ingredients for PRE-COOKING THE RICE
- 2 tablespoons ghee or butter
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 4 cardamom pods
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 red onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon (heaping) of saffron threads (about 1 gram or .04 ounces)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- CUCUMBER RIATA
- 2 cups plain yogurt
- 1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped out with a spoon, and grated or finely chopped.
- 1/2 cup chopped mint leaves (plus some for garnish, if you like)
- 1 garlic clove, pressed or finely minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted in a dry pan over high heat for a few seconds, until fragrant (if you’re short on time, you can use 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- MARINATE THE LAMB: Put the chopped ginger and garlic into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a couple of times. Scrape down the sides. Add 3-4 tablespoons of water. Pulse until you get a paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. (If you do this in your blender, add the water right away – expect lots of scraping down the sides) In a medium sized bowl mix the lamb with the garlic-ginger paste, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for a half hour or so. (more is fine)
- RINSE and SOAK the RICE: Put rice in a large bowl. Fill the bowl halfway with cold water. Swish rice around for a few seconds and pour off the cloudy water. Repeat 3 or 4 times, until the water is fairly clear. Cover rice with cold water by 2 inches and set it aside to soften for an hour. Drain.
- START THE SAUCE: While the lamb is marinating and the rice is soaking, start the sauce. In a large heavy pot or a deep skillet with a cover, heat the 3 tablespoons of oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are nicely browned and caramelized – about 15 minutes. Regulate the heat so they don’t burn. Sprinkle them with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Transfer them to a large plate or bowl and set aside. (no need to clean the pot yet – keep it out to brown the lamb)
- Mix the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl: tomato sauce, cayenne, paprika, salt, turmeric and garam masala. Set aside while you brown the lamb.
- BROWN THE LAMB: In the pot you used for the onions, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium high heat. Add half the lamb with its garlic-ginger coating, and cook for about 5 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the pieces are browned on all sides. Transfer to the plate with the onions. Brown the rest of the lamb, adding more oil, if necessary. Once the second batch of lamb is browned, return the other lamb and the onions back to the pot. Pour in the sauce. Stir, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release the browned bits of lamb into the sauce. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 25-30 minutes, until the lamb is nice and tender. Remove from the heat.
- PRECOOK THE RICE: While the lamb is simmering, heat 2 tablespoons of ghee or butter in a medium sized saucepan. Add the spices: cumin seeds, cardamom pods, bay leaves, and cinnamon sticks. Cook until they sizzle a bit and you can smell the cumin toasting – about 30 seconds. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes, until it starts to brown. Add the saffron and cook stirring, for about 30 seconds, until the saffron releases its color and aroma. Add the drained rice and toss to coat. Pour in 2 cups cold water and 2 teaspoons salt. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook for 5-6 minutes, uncovered – until all the water has evaporated. Remove from the heat.
- ASSEMBLE THE BIRYANI for baking Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spread half the lamb curry in the bottom of a medium-sized casserole dish. Cover with half the rice. Repeat the layers. Cover the casserole with the lid or with a double layer of foil. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Serve with cucumber raita (see below)
- CUCUMBER RAITA: Combine all the ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
- *Note: The bay leaves, cinnamon sticks and cardamom pods are not meant to be eaten. Remove them or tell people to be on the lookout for them.
Keywords: Lamb Biryani, Indian Lamb and Rice Casserole
First time E VER sending a comment re: a recipe!
But I made this for friends last night, and it was so delicious and authentic tasting, I had to tell you!
I will say it took me closer to 3 or 4 hours, because I clean up as I go and because I was in no hurry.
I also wouldn’t have minded a little bit more rice.
What I really appreciated was how you wrote it all out so clearly, which isn’t always the case, and also how you explained ‘while this is cooking, do this,’ and ‘while that is soaking, do that,’ etc. etc. It was great, and it all worked out very well!
Thank you so much for a well-written and yummy recipe!
★★★★
Tried this today and it turned out really good. Thanks for sharing this recipe 🙂
★★★★★
I’m so glad you enjoyed! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
hi! i’m 17 and i’ve made this dish for my family twice and they loved it- it’s now my dad’s favorite food. thank you for sharing your recipe!!
★★★★★
Wow, Ella, your parents are so lucky to have a daughter who cooks for them! You are quite an accomplished cook for your age. Thank you so much for your rating and comment. I’m thrilled to hear that you and your family enjoyed the Biryani! 🙂
Your dish is amazing! Wanted to add, we made the riata as close as possible, did not have fresh mint substituted contents of 2 peppermint teabags lol was pleasantly surprised that it tasted like lebanese kibbeh, totally different food but there it was, thanks for sharing
I just made this recipe. Mine came out very wet with a lot of tomato sauce. Did I misread something, or is it supposed to be pretty wet like a curry?
Hello! Just made this and it was really delicious! So yummy that my husband wants me to repeat it next week.
We just want to double the rice from 2 cups to 4 cups. Shall i double the ingredients for cooking the precooking the eice as well?
And i have no more cardamom left and its out of stock in the store, what can be a substitute for it?
Google says ground cinammon which i have. Is that ok? I dont want to cook tediously and then not recreate the delicious one i made (thanks to ur recipe).
Thanks
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed Aria!If you want to double the amount of rice, I do suggest that you double the whole rice part of the recipe except you don’t need to double the bay leaves – 2 should be fine. As for what to use in place of cardamom, I like the idea of using part cinnamon and part cloves. In place of the 8 cardamom pods (if you’re doubling the recipe) use 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves. It will alter the flavors a bit, but I bet it will be delicious. If you don’t have ground cloves, use ground nutmeg or allspice.
Perfect recipe,, came out superb! One question….can I substitute curds in place of tomatoes?
★★★★★
Cheese curds?
I live in a country where lamb is killed very young, so the meat this recipe called for was a stretch. So I made it out of the top 3inches of the leg and all the backbone and ribs, cutting off as much fat as possible, I used the entire recipe and put the browned off meat and sauce in a slow cooker for 5 hours, then pulled the bones out of the meat and sauce and then followed everything else. This was a thing if beauty!! The taste was sublime because of the extra flavour from the bones. I figured that this dish was originally designed to use the scrap bits and did that only to find it was a whole different beast – enjoy!!
★★★★★
hi. do you have the recipe for garam masala? i have spices here with me and wondering if i can just used them instead of buying. thanks!
Made this last night because I was craving Indian food but we are a family of 7 and ordering out is too expensive. I followed the whole recipe and it was a huge hit! Thanks so much for sharing!
★★★★★
Bij 2- 15 ounce cans of tomato
Do you mean the tomato paste or tomato.
I mean this type of tomato sauce.
Can ground cardamon be used instead of the pods. This is the recipe I will be trying this week after I have all the spices together.
Yes, you can use ground cardamom instead of the pods. I would suggest you use 1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom in place of the pods. I hope you enjoy!
I have been making this lamb biryani for a while and have now made it half a dozen times. Absolutely amazing and tastes authentic. I even give it to a couple of Indian restaurant/ takeaway owners and they love it as they dont have the time to prepare it themselves. You can taste the passion and love that goes into it.
Hello
This recipe looks awesome and looking forward to making it next week. Quick question, can I cook all the components the day before and then bake it the day after?
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Yes! You absolutely can! I hope you enjoy.