Sindhi Lamb Biryani

A good ol' lamb Biryani pretty much speaks for itself. It doesn't need an introduction or a prompt to notice it - it does all of things simply by being itself.

It isn't humble by any means; a Biryani is pompous, showy and majestic, with its pop of colour, its many layers, its distinct, sharp flavour and its vast array of spices, some of which only leave the spice cabinet when it's 'time to cook Biryani'.

Unlike it's more mature and subtle brother, Pilau, a Biryani is loud, fiery and fierce.

A Biryani is nothing to be taken lightly.

It's a lengthy process, but oh so worth it in the end!

What is Biryani?

Biryani is a lavish rice dish cooked in the South of Asia and also across the Middle East. It is characterised by a flavoursome, aromatic masala, usually consisting of some sort of meat (though not always) layered with rice. It can certainly be likened to layering and mixing a curry with rice (although it is A LOT more than that!)

There are many different types of Biryanis; many regions have their own sort of Biryani: Hyderabadi Biryani, Bombay Biryani, Bengali Biryani, Kachhi Biryani etc. Biryani can also be cooked with chicken, fish, prawns, vegetables - it truly is a unique and versatile dish!

What is a Sindhi Biryani?

Originating from the province of Sindh which is now found in Pakistan, a Sindhi Biryani is an aromatic Biryani which differs in many ways from other Biryanis. It often (but not always!) lays its hand light on the heat and emphasises on the crisp flavours of mint, lemon and coriander and has a pronounced tang thanks to the dried plums.

What also sets a Sindhi Biryani apart from others is that it uses potatoes and dried plums in the masala - other kinds of Biryani don't necessarily require either of these. 

The most traditional of Sindhi Biryani recipes also use dried fruits and nuts in the garnish.

The elaborate task of cooking a biryani... how do you make it?

The first time you make a Biryani, it feels like an incredibly daunting task.

There are indeed a lot of steps. It takes a lot of time if you use a red meat like lamb, and you end up using a lot of cooking utensils. Hello, sink full of dishes!

Here's a very summarised brief on the way Biryani is made:

1. We fry up some onions nice and well till they're a beautiful, crispy brown colour. We will reserve some of these, and the rest we continue to cook
2. We'll add our lamb into the onions, followed by a special array of spices that are specific to Biryani, and then yogurt and now cook this into a curry, which we call the Biryani masala
3. Once this is done, we will cook our basmati rice with a variety of whole spices till almost done
4. The final step is the layering process. In a pot, we will add in half of our Biryani masala, following by half the rice and a few garnishing items including the reserved fried onions from step 1. Repeat this again. We'll also be adding some butter/ghee and kewra water for some extra fragrant oomph
5. This whole baby now steams on the stove on the lowest setting for a while, so all the flavours of the Biryani masala and garnishes infuse into the rice. 

Wow, that was quite a feat to even type up! I have provided step-by-step direction pictures in the recipe card to help make this whole process less daunting. 

If you find the idea of making a Biryani daunting, I promise you after a few tries it becomes a lot more approachable. Pakka wada!

Using lamb meat in this recipe

In the UK, lamb is usually the favoured red meat of choice to use in Pakistani households. I am aware lamb isn't as commonly used in Pakistan or other countries such as the US. Goat (mutton) and beef are more popular options there. 

This recipe can definitely be altered to accommodate for this. If you'd like to use beef, you can just sub the lamb for beef with no additional changes. If you use goat, you'll need to cook the curry part of the recipe for about an hour longer and will need to add about a cup extra of water. 

Why I LOVE this Lamb Biryani

What's there not to love about a well cooked, beautiful Sindhi lamb Biryani?!

I love the soft and floury potatoes in this particular Biryani - it's probably what has won me over. Tender chunks of lamb, tangy dried plums, heapings of fresh mint and coriander and zesty slices of lemon also help cement its place as my ultimate favourite Biryani. I'm also a HUGE fan of a good Kabuli Pilau with its fried raisins and I love how a Sindhi Biryani brings in this element too.

I'll be very honest with you all and say I'm not a fan of a very spicy Biryani. Give me a mild Biryani which is heavy on the cardamom, mint and lemon and I'll show you a plate wiped clean! But that aside, a heavy hand on the heat is typical of a traditional Biryani and I've kept this in mind while developing this recipe. If you aren't a fan of the heat like me, taste adjust the red chilli and black pepper to your liking.

To add potatoes, or not?

There are two kinds of people in this world. People who love potatoes in their Biryani, and people who don't. 

Where do you fall?

I am firmly in the 'LOVE potatoes' camp. I cannot fathom Biryani without it! This is another reason why I absolutely adore this Biryani recipe - Sindhi Biryanis include potatoes and it just works SO well. 

If you're in the 'no potatoes' camp, then you can simply x0.5 the amount of lamb in the recipe to make up for the loss of potatoes.

How to serve Lamb Biryani

Enjoy this Lamb Biryani with a cooling raita (yoghurt) and salad. I was low on salad veggies the day I cooked this, so I served it with some red onions soaked in a bit of vinegar, which works wonderfully too.

Here's an old image of this Biryani which was previously on the blog. I opted to serve the fried raisins and nuts on the side. Many people don't actually appreciate sweet or nutty tones with savoury foods so it may be best to keep them out of the actual rice so whoever wants them can help themselves. In those old pictures, I served this lamb biryani on a chaabi which is traditionally used to serve bread in. I used this because I just loved how colourful it looks and felt like it would really convey the pompous vibes of this Biryani. I lay a sheet of foil down before adding the rice in order to keep the chaabi from getting ruined. 

Enjoy, with love x

📋 Recipe

Sindhi Lamb Biryani

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

4.59 from 29 votes

Print Rate

Ingredients

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For the Biryani masala

• 5 (350 g) small onions, sliced sliced
• 1.5 tablespoon garlic, minced (approx 10 cloves
• 1 tablespoon freshly minced ginger
• 0.5 cup (130 g) full fat yogurt
• 1.1 lb lamb or mutton, bone in
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 7 green cardamom
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 medium sized cinnamon stick
• 1 tablespoon red chilli flakes
• 5 cloves
• 9 oz (250 g) potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks
• 10 dried plums

For the rice

• 2 cups (400 g) white basmati rice
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 10 green cardamoms
• 2 black cardamoms
• 1 bay leaf

For the garnish

• 0.5 bunch mint chopped
• 0.5 bunch coriander chopped
• 6 slices lemon
• 6 slices tomato
• 1 star anise
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• a few pinches orange/yellow food colour
• 1 teaspoon kewara water

Instructions

For the potatoes

• 1. Halve and deep fry the potatoes until they are pretty much fully cooked, but careful not to overcook them! Set aside for late

For the Biryani masala

• In a deep pot, heat the oil and add all the onions. Fry these on
  medium/high till they are golden brown. Remove 50% of these onions and
  set aside
• In the pot with the remaining onions, add the minced garlic and ginger and cook till they turn golden
  
• Add the lamb/mutton. Sear in the oil on high heat till it no longer remains pink
  
• Add all the yogurt, dried plums and the spices. Saute this on high for a few minutes, then add about 3-4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover and then cook for 1-1.5 hour, till the lamb/mutton becomes tender. Mutton may take up to 1hr 45 minutes to become tender, but keep checking to make sure it doesn't become too soft and starts falling off the bone.
• Once the meat is tender, add in half a bunch of chopped mint, half a bunch of chopped coriander and the potatoes. Stir in and turn the heat off.
  

For the rice

• 1. In a separate pot, bring water to a boil alongside all the whole spices and the oil. There isn't a set amount of water - just enough for the rice to cook in. Once the water is at a boil, add in the rice and boil rapidly for 5-7 minutes, till the rice is 75% cooked. Drain in a colander immediately

Assembling the Biryani

• In a pot, layer half your biryani curry/masala
• Then add half of your rice
  
• Sprinkle over 2-3 pinches of food colouring and ½ teaspoon kewara water
  
• Half of the reserved fried onions
  
• 3 slices of lemon and 3 slices of tomatoes
  
• ¼ bunch of chopped mint and a ¼ bunch chopped coriander
  
• Repeat that layering process again
  
• Now, turn the heat to the lowest possible setting, cover the Biryani and allow it to steam on low for about 15-20 minutes. Once steamed, allow it to rest for 15 minutes before serving.
• Serve with raita and salad. I also like serving my Biryani with fried raisins and cashews. Enjoy and lap up the compliments!

Notes

You can grind the Biryani masala spices into a powder to avoid having lots of whole spices in your rice. Who likes biting into a clove? Yuck!

If you don't have dried plums, you can substitute them for prunes

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