Lamb (Gosht) Biryani

This festive lamb biryani dish is perfect for gatherings or celebrations. Biryani is a bit of a project and is time-consuming, but I have never been disappointed with the results of this lamb biryani recipe. It’s always a huge hit!

Preparation Details

Prep Time: 25 mins

Cook Time: 1 hr

Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups basmati rice
• ¼ cup cooking oil
• 8 whole cloves
• 4 black cardamom pods
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 4 large onions, sliced thin
• 1 tablespoon garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon ginger paste
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1 pound lamb chops
• salt to taste
• 3 tomatoes, chopped
• 4 green chile peppers, halved lengthwise
• 2 teaspoons ground red pepper
• 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 7 ½ cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• ½ teaspoon saffron
• 2 tablespoons warm milk

Steps

1. Place basmati rice in a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let stand 30 minutes. Drain.
2. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add cloves, cardamom pods, and cinnamon sticks and cook in the hot oil until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add onions; cook and stir until onions are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir garlic paste and ginger paste into onion mixture; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Sprinkle cilantro and mint over onion mixture and cook 1 minute more.
3. Add lamb chops to the skillet; season with salt. Cook lamb until chops are browned on both sides, about 20 minutes.
4. Stir in tomatoes, green chile peppers, and ground red pepper; continue cooking until oil begins to separate from the sauce, about 10 minutes. Add yogurt and lemon juice; cover and cook until the lamb is tender, about 15 minutes. Add some water as needed to keep mixture from getting too dry.
5. Place rice, 7 ½ cups water, and 1 teaspoon salt in a saucepan; bring to a boil and simmer until rice is nearly done yet a little chewy, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain any excess water.
6. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small skillet; add sliced onion and cook until lightly browned.
7. Layer about ½ of the rice in the bottom of a deep pot with a lid. Spoon the lamb masala mixture over the rice. Spread fried onion over lamb masala. Top with remaining rice.
8. Stir saffron and warm milk together in a small bowl; pour over top layer of rice. Cover the pot with the lid and place the pot over low heat; cook until the rice is thoroughly cooked, about 15 minutes.