cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
1
green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1
large cinnamon stick
12
green cardamom pods
2tsp.
garam masala
1tsp.
turmeric
4
tomatoes, roughly chopped
250g
natural yogurt
Pinch of saffron
1/2tsp.
rose water
To assemble
100g
unsalted butter, melted
20g
flaked almonds, toasted
Small handful coriander, chopped
Directions
Step 1 Soak rice in a large bowl of cold water for 15min. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large deep, frying pan on medium-high heat and brown the lamb all over, in batches if necessary. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper.
Step 2In the same pan, cook the onions with a large pinch of salt over low-medium heat for 30min, stirring regularly, until soft and deep golden brown. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper.
Step 3Add garlic, ginger, chilli and cinnamon to pan with half the cardamom pods. Cook for 3min until aromatic; add garam masala and turmeric and cook, stirring, for 2min. Add tomatoes with a splash of water; cook on high heat for 7-8min until starting to break down. Stir in yogurt and remove from heat. Season generously. Stir through lamb and set aside.
Step 4Put saffron in a bowl and pour over 100ml hot water. Set aside until needed.
Step 5Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Drain rice and boil for 4-5min with the remaining cardamom pods, until rice is just tender but still firm in the middle. Drain well, then stir in the saffron water and rose water.
Step 6To assemble, pour half the melted butter and 100ml water into a deep casserole dish (that has a tight-fitting lid); spoon in 1/3 of the rice. Spread over half the lamb mixture and 1/3 of onions. Add further layers of rice, lamb and onions. Top with final layer of rice (you should have some onions left; set aside). Drizzle over remaining butter.
Step 7Cover with lid and put on a medium-high heat until you can see steam, then turn down to a low heat and cook for 30min without lifting the lid.
Step 8Once biryani has finished cooking, leave it off heat with the lid on for 10min, then scatter over the remaining onions with the flaked almonds and coriander.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
