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 dish.
This Indian Lamb Biryani 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 Indian Lamb Biryani with a cooling, creamy, cucumber-mint raita to complement the heat of the dish. Your palate will thank you!
More Delicious Indian Recipes
• Saag Aloo: Indian Spinach and Potatoes
• Chicken Tikka Masala
• White Chicken Korma
Here’s the recipe for Indian Lamb Biryani. If you try this recipe, I hope you’ll come back to leave a comment and let me know what you think.
Indian Lamb Biryani
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
Delicious recipe for a Shabbat! I put on a little Bernard Pretty Purdee and watched the spices swirl. Wonderful.
★★★★★
Hi Amber. I’m so glad you enjoyed the Biryani! And it sounds like you had fun cooking, too! Thanks for coming back around to comment.
This recipe is wonderful! I didn’t see the note about using passata and used diced tomatoes instead and it was still very tasty. My husband (who I’ve cooked for nearly every night for 12 years) just told me it’s probably the best dish I’ve ever made! This will be on firm rotation in our house
★★★★★
Hi Camilla. Wow! You just made my day with your note. I’m absolutely thrilled to hear that you and your husband enjoyed the Biryani so much. Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment.
Cooked this twice now, after 15 years of trying and failing to cook Indian dishes this is the only one I can get right. It takes a while to cook/prepare but it’s perfect for a Sunday evening meal that will make plenty of leftovers for lunches.
For the benefit of other Australians I used 1x 400ml can of tomato puree, I used 2 cans the first time and it was way too saucy.
★★★★★
Hi Blair. I’m very glad to hear that your efforts panned out and that you enjoyed the Biryani. I really appreciate that you took the time to come back and leave a review with some helpful info for others.
I made this for a dinner party, and it was as awesome as everyone says. I didn’t substitute anything.
★★★★★
I am very happy to hear it! Thank you for coming back to let us know Henry.
Hi
I use the passata as stated in your recipe. But it turned out very sour. Is it meant to be sour?
Cheers
It is not meant to be sour. I’m sorry yours turned out that way. Perhaps the canned tomatoes you used were responsible? I should probably specify the brand of tomato sauce I recommend. I generally look for either San Marzano tomatoes or organic tomato sauce. I find those have rich tomato flavors and they aren’t very acidic. I’ll make a not of that on the recipe. Thank you for your comment and I hope you’ll give the recipe another try.
Thank you for the recipe. Can’t wait to try it.
A question about cooking the rice.
Is there a reason the rice to water ratio is not 1:2?
Wonderfully written recipe. Easy to follow for a first timer like myself and it turned out great. I added some chicken breast and brisket since I was short on lamb. They all blended very well. Also, I took my Persian friends’ advice of crushing the saffron and placing it on top of an ice cube in a bowl and letting the cube melt. I put that bright red saffron water into the sauce pan before the rice. Also, ended up leaving out the cardamom since I was out of it (it was still wonderful). Thank you!
★★★★★
This might possibly be my favorite dish ever
★★★★★
Wow! That’s exciting to hear 🙂
i made it yesterday, it was simply delicious!
★★★★★
This is the greatest biryani recipe I have ever tried. I have cooked it countless times. I don’t strictly follow the curried lamb part as I am not a paprika fan. However, the way to cook it, the rice, the raita, are all tremendous. I sometimes cook it with a whole meal crust rather than foil, but both work equally well. It’s a bookmark on my iPad and I’m just cooking it again (on request) for a friend who is coming round to dinner tonight. I realised I should finally comment. Thank you.
★★★★★
I’m just returning home after psssing through the Middle East and on the plane I’m searching for a recipe for lamb biryani and found yours. Just a query on the tomato sauce. So, is it the tomatoe sauce that one would use on a hamburger? Or tomato paste? Or crushed tin tomatoes? Also some recipes have a star anised… were you tempted to add this?
Thanks Sue
Hi Susan, I’m really glad you asked this because until now I didn’t know that “tomato sauce” is “ketchup” in the UK – definitely NOT what I intended! The tomato sauce I’m referring to is a USA product that’s similar to “passata.” You can also use tomato paste and dilute it with water – 1 part tomato paste plus 1 1/2 parts water. As for the star anise, I’ve never considered using it because I’m happy with the flavors in this biryani but I bet it would be a lovely addition. I hope you enjoy the biryani. Let me know!
Well done and thank you Lisa. I am a reasonably-confident cook, and often vary recipes, but I followed your recipe step by step and wouldn’t change a thing. I cook Sunday dinners for our adult kids and a few other very close family members (and the odd close friends) to bring the whole family together once a week, and your 2.5 hours was almost exactly right, and an appropriate ‘investment’ for this key family occasion. I doubled everything and can confirm that your ingredients scaled perfectly. This was simple and delicious, and is now definitely in my short list of favourites to cycle through on Sundays.
I loveeeeee this recipe! I’ve made this a few times now and it’ll likely be my go-to dish for parties! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Yay! I’m so glad to hear you’re enjoying the Biryani. Thank you so much for leaving a comment!!
Over the weekend, I spent about half an hour on the internet looking for a quick and easy lamb biryani recipe and I stumbled upon yours! What a hit it was with the entire family! The rice was so fragrant and the lamb was so tender and flavourful! And by the way, I am Indian – I’ve spent my life eating biryani and this one is second to none! 🙂
★★★★★
You’ve made my day with your note. I’m thrilled to know that you and your family enjoyed the biryani. It’s a favorite in my family too. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment.
The best Indian dish! We made lamb and chicken versions. Both amazing!
Thank you
Wow that you made both! I’m very happy to hear that and especially that you enjoyed them both. Thanks for your note Ana.