Sindhi Lamb Biryani with Potatoes and sour Plums
A dish which is truly elegant and delicious... a dish which is wonderful enough to be associated with culture, tradition, family times, memories, nostalgia ...and special occasions, happy or sad.
Indian restaurateur Kris Dhillon believes that the dish originated in Persia, and was brought to India by the Mughals. Another theory claims that the dish was prepared in India before the first Mughal emperor Babur conquered India. (Source Wikipedia)
Good Biryani is a joy to eat and a true indulgence and if you are into food you must have this delicious Sindhi Lamb Biryani with Potatoes and Dried Sour Plums (Alo Bukhara) recipe in your repertoire…!
I made this over the weekend while Instagraming a live video along the way! 🤓….. I know…I know, what you gonna say to yourself, “Ah I do NOT do Instagram,” trust me, I was on the same track probably a year ago. I thought the app was too complicated for me….. and I didn’t think I’d ever figure out the ins and outs of Instagram, but then it clicked and I got the hang of it… now I love it! If you’re an Instagramer, my username for food Instagram is “sadisfoodbytes” and for Art, it is “sadiscraft” 😍 look me up!
To cook a Biryani, you start by frying up some chopped onions and spices. It’s just like you’d make a classic curry, then the lamb goes in followed by the veggies and the yoghurt for some creamy goodness finally the layers of rice and the curry to get this dish all together…easy peasy lemon squeezy!….aaa alright 😅..you got me… it is not a quick dish and certainly not the one you cook on autopilot but a dish which is truly elegant and delicious… a dish which is wonderful enough to be associated with culture, tradition, family times, nostalgia, memories … and special occasions…happy or sad.
To cook a Biryani, you start by frying up some chopped onions and spices. It’s just like you’d make a classic curry, then the lamb goes in followed by the veggies and the yoghurt for some creamy goodness finally the layers of rice and the curry to get this dish all together…easy peasy lemon squeezy!….aaa alright 😅..you got me… it is not a quick dish and certainly not the one you cook on autopilot but a dish which is truly elegant and delicious… a dish which is wonderful enough to be associated with culture, tradition, family times, nostalgia, memories … and special occasions…happy or sad.
Ingredients
- 300 g lamb shoulder diced
- 3 tbsp olive oil cooking
- 1 onion diced
- 1 inch fresh ginger grated
- 3-4 cloves fresh garlic grated
- 1 tsp garam masala or five-spice mix
- 4 cloves
- 2-3 bay leaf
- 1 star anise
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 3-4 cardamom pods crushed
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp peppercorn
- 6-7 dried sour plums Alo bukhara washed
- 250 g plum tomato
- 2 tbsp yoghurt
- 1 fresh tomato cut into slices
- handful of fresh coriander and mint leaves
- 1 ½ cup basmati rice I used Tilda
- 2 medium potatoes big pieces
- 3 medium carrots diced
- 1 cup peas
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ tsp saffron
- 2 tbsp kewra water
- 1 pinch orange food colour
- ½ lemon thin sliced
- salt and pepper to taste
- handful pomegranate seeds to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Put 2 ½ tbsp oil in a heavy-based pan on medium heat. Add ½ onions and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Add bay leaf, 1/4 tsp peppercorns, cloves, cardamom pods, star anise and cinnamon stick. Stir a few times.
- Now add the meat, gram masala, paprika, garlic, ginger, plum tomatoes sour plums salt and yoghurt. Stir fry the meat for about five minutes, or until it is lightly browned. Now add 2-3 cups of water. Stir, cover and cook, over medium-high heat, for about 35-40 minutes, or until the meat is tender and most of the water evaporated.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the potatoes, carrots and peas. cook for 8-10 minutes or until potatoes are nearly done, add a splash of water if required.
- By the time potatoes are almost done, the curry should be thick, all the water should be evaporated and oil should be oozing out...Now add tomato sliced, green chillies, coriander and mint leaves, and bring to a simmer for a few minutes, reducing the heat to the lowest. (see video)
- Whilst the curry is getting thick, taste the seasoning. Now place a deep pan with 8 glasses of water to boil on high heat, with 2-3 tbsp salt, cinnamon, bay leaf cloves and black peppercorn.
- When the water is boiling rapidly, Set a colander in the sink.
- Add rice to the boiling water, stir to separate the grains and cook for 5-8 minutes until the rice is 80% done (see video). Drain quickly and leave in the colander.
- Fry the remaining onion in a frying pan with a splash of oil to golden brown, and set aside.
- Place a few saffron strings in a cup, and add warm milk and kewra water. set aside
- On the same rice pot add a layer of drained Rice and spoon half of the meat and veg mixture over the rice, add another layer of rice on top. Splash the saffron milk over. Spread the remaining meat and veg mixture and topped it with the last layer of rice. (see video)
- Sprinkle the food colour on the top layer, and add the fried onions and the oil with lemon slices.
- Cover tightly with the lid and put it back on the stove, at the lowest heat setting for 30–40 mins or until the rice is cooked through. Mix very gently with a slotted spoon before serving. avoid removing the lid in between as rice need to cook in the steam.
- Garnish with fresh coriander and pomegranate seeds. Serve it hot with Raita.
