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Home » Recipes » Casserole

Indian Lamb Biryani

October 3, 2014 Updated July 22, 2020 by Lisa Goldfinger 140 Comments This post may contain affiliate links

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indian lamb biryani pin

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.

A plate of Indian Lamb Biryani, lamb and rice casserole, with cucumber raita on the side and a large sprig of mint to garnish.

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!

Lamb Curry for Biryani|Panning The Globe

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.

biryani spices

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.)

lamb biryani casserole with tin foil partially pulled back.

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.

saffron

This Lamb Biryani recipe is packed with deep and exciting flavors and a good amount of heat. It's definitely dinner-party worthy!

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 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!

A plate of Indian Lamb Biryani: Sumptuous casserole of tender lamb curry with saffron spiced rice with cucumber-mint raita on the side and a big mint sprig.

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.

 

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Indian Lamb Biryani: Sumptuous casserole of tender lamb curry with saffron spiced rice with cucumber-mint raita on the side|Panning The Globe

Indian Lamb Biryani Recipe


★★★★★

4.8 from 44 reviews

  • Author: Lisa
  • Total Time: 2 hours 30 mins
  • Yield: 6-8 1x
Print Recipe

Description

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.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 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)
  • ½ 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
  • ¼ to ¾ 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
  • ½ 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.
  • ½ 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 ½ teaspoon ground cumin)
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

  1. 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)
  2. 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.
  3. 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)
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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)
  8. CUCUMBER RAITA: Combine all the ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
  9. *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.
  • Prep Time: 1 hour 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Category: Main Course - Dinner
  • Method: stove top, oven
  • Cuisine: Indian

Keywords: Lamb Biryani, Indian Lamb and Rice Casserole

Did you make this recipe?

If you make this recipe, please let me know how it turns out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on instagram with the hashtag #panningtheglobe

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Filed Under: All Recipes, Asia, Casserole, Entertaining, India, main course, Most Popular Recipes Tagged With: best entertaining recipes, gluten-free, lamb, rice

Reader Interactions

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    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. Mary Carpenter

    April 08, 2022 at 2:33 pm

    Went down an absolute treat with my 3 boys. I was beaming with pride at the compliments they were giving me. Although the kudos should definitely go to this fabulous recipe!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lisa

      April 11, 2022 at 11:22 am

      Congrats on getting those compliments from your boys Mary and thank you for mine! I'm so glad you all enjoyed the Biryani!!

      Reply
  2. Katarina

    February 17, 2022 at 7:05 am

    Absolutely delicious! Have made a batch for freezing at the step prior to adding the rice. Thank you so much!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  3. Katarina

    February 02, 2022 at 4:14 pm

    Hi, just wondered is it okay, if I'm making a large batch, to freeze portions prior to incorporating the rice?

    Reply
    • Lisa

      February 03, 2022 at 6:25 am

      Hi Katarina - yes, I think it would be fine to freeze the lamb curry portion. I hope you enjoy the Biryani!

      Reply
      • Katarina

        February 17, 2022 at 7:05 am

        Absolutely delicious! Have made a batch for freezing at the step prior to adding the rice. Thank you so much!

        ★★★★★

  4. Ivan

    November 21, 2021 at 4:33 pm

    Can yogurt be used in the lamb marinate.....I am told it helps to tenderize the lamb.... if so how much would you suggest?

    Reply
    • Molly

      April 18, 2022 at 3:38 pm

      Hey, so I used yogurt in the marinade, but I realized my mistake when I went to brown the lamb- the yogurt makes it too wet, and it doesn't brown.

      Reply
  5. restaurantthatdeliversnearme.website

    July 11, 2021 at 7:04 am

    Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
  6. Authry

    April 28, 2021 at 9:46 am

    I just made this last weekend and both me and my husband enjoyed it so much. We were impressed with the beautiful flavour and all the effort was worth it. Will certainly cook this again. Thanks for sharing this beautiful recipe. 😊

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  7. susan alexander

    March 26, 2021 at 8:09 pm

    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!

    ★★★★

    Reply
  8. Reah

    March 07, 2021 at 4:23 am

    Tried this today and it turned out really good. Thanks for sharing this recipe 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lisa

      March 07, 2021 at 6:24 am

      I'm so glad you enjoyed! Thanks for letting me know 🙂

      Reply
    • Siobhán

      December 31, 2021 at 12:45 pm

      Best biryani recipe I have tried yet!!! Delicious! Thank you!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
  9. ella

    February 14, 2021 at 6:23 pm

    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!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lisa

      February 16, 2021 at 6:13 am

      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! 🙂

      Reply
  10. Chris

    December 29, 2020 at 6:44 pm

    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

    Reply
  11. Lane

    December 15, 2020 at 6:18 pm

    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?

    Reply
  12. Aria

    November 29, 2020 at 7:20 pm

    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

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lisa

      November 30, 2020 at 6:49 am

      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.

      Reply
  13. Chatterjee

    November 11, 2020 at 11:35 pm

    Perfect recipe,, came out superb! One question....can I substitute curds in place of tomatoes?

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lisa

      November 12, 2020 at 5:56 am

      Cheese curds?

      Reply
  14. Elizabeth

    October 31, 2020 at 5:26 pm

    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!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  15. j

    October 22, 2020 at 9:53 pm

    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!

    Reply
  16. Erin Z

    October 09, 2020 at 2:46 pm

    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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  17. ShiwaniSanjana Abdoelrahim

    October 01, 2020 at 7:21 am

    Bij 2- 15 ounce cans of tomato
    Do you mean the tomato paste or tomato.

    Reply
    • Lisa

      October 01, 2020 at 7:26 am

      I mean this type of tomato sauce.

      Reply
    • Asma

      August 31, 2021 at 6:14 pm

      Hello

      What can I substitute for sweet paprika ? I am missing that condiment

      Reply
      • Lisa

        September 01, 2021 at 7:10 am

        If you have Aleppo pepper you can use a little of that - maybe a teaspoon. But it's going to add a bit of hot spice so you might want to skip the cayenne. If you don't have Aleppo pepper either, I would say just skip the paprika and make the dish without it. It will still be delicious.

    • Mary

      April 08, 2022 at 2:48 pm

      I presumed passata would do, but didn’t have any of that either, so I made my own sauce. I used 4 tbsp tomato purée, 2 cups of chicken stock. Salt and pepper and 1/4 tsp of sugar. It turned out beautifully.

      Reply
  18. A. J.

    September 13, 2020 at 8:35 am

    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.

    Reply
    • Lisa

      September 13, 2020 at 9:07 am

      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!

      Reply
  19. Dale Howard

    September 12, 2020 at 12:29 pm

    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.

    Reply
  20. Jemma

    September 06, 2020 at 12:17 pm

    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?

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Lisa

      September 06, 2020 at 2:13 pm

      Yes! You absolutely can! I hope you enjoy.

      Reply
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