Lamb Pulao is hands down my most frequently cooked dish and honestly a household favourite! A solid part of our family dinner table, this aromatic, comforting meal has been cemented into our weekly rotation since our little two year old daughter enjoys it so much!
🫕One pot method
This recipe is an easy spin on the traditional Yakhni Pulao, which is the method I've used in my Chicken Pulao recipe here. In the traditional recipe, you simmer the meat, aromatics and whole spices into a stock until they are cooked before sifting out the whole spices and proceeding to separately brown onions, adding the meat and then the stock from the initial simmering stage, before adding the rice and steaming till cooked. I have used this method for a long time
However, the Yakhni method takes time and my biggest issue is: it takes up a lot of my kitchen utensils! You use two pots - one for the simmering of the stock and one for the browning/steaming, and you also need a colander to sift out the whole spices. Whenever I would venture into the kitchen for a Pulao dinner, my kitchen sink would be overflowing! And not to mention the pain of having to separate the meat from the whole spices which would usually be clinging on!
Eventually, I decided that I really shouldn't need to be doing this every time I want to make a chicken or lamb Pulao, which is often! Since beginning to make my Pulao this way, I have honestly found that...
1) I am making NO compromises on flavour. The whole spices which infuse their beautiful aroma into the Pulao get the same amount of simmer time in this method as the original method, therefore we are NOT skimping on flavour
2) I save SO much time and effort with this method. Before, deciding to make a Pulao would honestly mean I would be embarking on a small mission. Now, a Pulao is a dinner I can start up easily knowing I'm only going to be using one pot and minimal effort
3) I ENJOY making Pulao so much! The ease of it adds such an element of joy, knowing how good it is going to turn out without needing to go through so much hassle of sifting everything out and picking out the whole spices. If you've made Pulao the traditional way, you will know the sifting seriously isn't the most fun thing to do!
Now, how do we get our Lamb Pulao to become a one-pot wonder?
It's actually a no-brainer! So simple, but a complete game changer!
You use a muslin cloth to wrap your whole spices in! You make a little potli as we say in Urdu, a little packet tied up, filled with all your whole spices and add that in during the yakhni (broth) making process. The muslin cloth allows the flavours to be released into our yakhni without having to deal with the whole spices. Once you add your rice, you can remove the muslin potli, after squeezing out all the flavour you possibly can of course, and wallah! We have a one-pot Pulao all ready to go with as minimal effort as it gets!
In my eyes, the best thing about a Lamb Pulao is that the juices and hearty flavour from the lamb compliment the aromatic, moreish spices so beautifully. As a personal preference, I favour a Lamb Pulao always above a Chicken Pulao - there's just something so comforting about juicy cuts of lamb in the most fragrant and spiced rice.
Another thing I love about Pulao is just how forgiving it is. If you don't have a certain spice on hand there is no compulsion to have to use it. You can certainly omit certain spices if you don't have them to hand - it is totally understand if one doesn't have all these spices in their whole form. Of course, that isn't to say you should purposely omit any of the whole spices in this recipe, or to say they don't make a difference. It is a combination of all these flavours and spices that meld together to create this perfect meal. I personally feel like a Pulao is incomplete without cumin, black pepper, coriander seeds and cinnamon. Cloves and both kinds of cardamom, though used in a small quantity, do make an impact on the overall flavour and I don't make my Pulao without them. At most, I will leave out the bay-leaf or star anise if I don't have them to hand.
🥣Method
As always, full quantities and instructions are listed at the bottom of the post.
Firstly, prepare the spice cloth by tying the whole spices in a clean muslin cloth. Alternatively, use a mesh spice infuser.
We'll start by adding some oil into a deep pot, and then adding in sliced onions.
Brown this, stirring often so they colour evenly. Once the onions are lightly golden, add in the cumin seeds, ginger and garlic. Fry for 1-2 more minutes.
Add the lamb in, and continue to brown this alongside the other ingredients until the lamb chances colour and no longer remains pink and the onions turn a dark brown- about 5 minutes. Stir constantly, to ensure everything browns evenly.
Once browned, add the spices (tied in the muslin or spice infuser), salt and 5 ½ cups (1.3l) water. Bring to a boil, then cover and cook for 45 minutes on low heat.
After 45 minutes, uncover and add in the basmati rice. Turn the heat up to high and cook the rice, stirring often using a folding motion to ensure you don't break any rice grains.
Continue to dry it out until most of the water has dried out and the rice is 80% done - about 8-10 minutes. Once at this stage, turn the heat down to very low, cover with a tight-fitting lid (ideally lined with a tea towel) and allow this 15-20 minutes, undisturbed.
Fluff up with a fork, and serve immediately!
What if I don't have a cloth?
On a final note, I would like to say if you don't have a muslin cloth, then you can certainly add the whole spices to your yakhni directly and fish them out afterwards using a slotted spoon, as the whole spices do have a tendency to float to the top. This is a slightly laborious method and won't result in having removed all the whole spices. I have done this before and whilst I managed it, it wasn't the best and it probably would have been easier to sift them out with a colander like in the traditional method.
Alternatively, you can grind the spices into a powder and add them at the same time you add the ginger/garlic in step 2. I do not personally like this method as I find the spices leave a grainy feel on the rice and they also darken the rice into an unattractive peppery shade. Ideally, however, you should use a muslin cloth (or any clean cloth with permeability will do too)
So, without further ado, my favourite meal ever. Serve up alongside a simple side of yogurt whisked with a sprinkle of salt or your favourite raita. A salad also does wonders! If you are feeling ambitious, Shami Kebabs alongside Pulao is a classic combination.
Enjoy, with love x
📋 Recipe
Pakistani Lamb Pulao
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon (60 ml) oil
- 3 (330 g) onions, finely sliced
- 10 cloves garlic
- 1.5 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1.65 lb (¾ kg) lamb, bone in
- 2 tablespoon whole cumin seeds
- 4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2.5 cups (½ kg) white basmati rice washed and soaked for a minimum of 30 minutes
- 5.5 cups (1.3l) water (IMPORTANT: please read notes if you are changing the serving size)
Whole Spices to wrap in a muslin cloth or spice infuser
- 1 finger-sized piece whole cinnamon
- 2.5 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
- 2.5 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaf
- 10 green cardamoms
- 3 black cardamoms
- 5 whole cloves
- 0.5 star anise
Instructions
- Prepare the whole spices by placing them into a clean muslin cloth or spice infuser.
- In a deep pot, heat the oil and add the sliced onions. Fry these, ensure you stir so they are evenly browning.
- Once the onions have become a light shade of gold, add the garlic, ginger and cumin seeds. Fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the lamb. Ensure the lamb is completely dry, otherwise the lamb won't brown as well. Fry the lamb alongside everything else, stirring to ensure nothing is burning and everything it browning evenly.
- Once the lamb has browned and the onions have turned dark, add your prepared spice cloth/infuser, salt and water.
- Bring a boil, then cover and simmer on low for 45 minutes.
- Once the broth has been cooked, check the salt. Your broth should have a slightly too-salty taste.
- Add in the basmati rice. You'll need to check there is enough water - the way I do this is I put my finger in so the tip of my finger touches the rice. The water should be coming up to the first line on my finger. If there is too little, add some more water in till it reaches that level. If there is too much, scoop a bit out using a cup. I find the quantity of water I've stated in step 4 to be sufficient water and I don't need to add any more, but it is best to check yourself.
- Cook this on high, stirring using a folding motion to ensure the rice grains don't break. Be mindful to scrape the bottom of the pan too, to prevent any rice sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Once the water has mostly been absorbed and the rice is about 80% done (about 8-10 minutes), cover with a tight lid and turn the heat down to the lowest possible heat. Allow this to sit over the low heat undisturbed for 15-20 minutes.
- Finally, fluff up with a fork or spoon carefully before serving.
Notes
- If you are adjusting the serving size: the amount of water you use will be: 0.5x = 3.25 cups/850ml water, 1x = 5.5 cups/1.3l, 2x = 8 cups/1.9l water, 3x = 10.5 cups/2.5l water.
- Pilau is often garnished with fried onion, as shown in the images. Two fried onions for garnishing purposes should suffice for this recipe.
- Please note, you do not need to remove the muslin cloth of spices until serving time
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Anniesa Malik
Beautiful recipe so well balanced and tasty.
Saf
I don’t understand the putting your finger in the water to check. Does your finger not burn in the hot water?
Ala
Perfect recipe. My entire family loved it. Even my picky Pakistani husband.
farzana
Hi. I love this recipie abd have used it a few times. How do you stop the lamb from drying out? Thanks!
Racitha
Hello can I substitute beef for the lamb here as lamb is pretty expensive
Fatima Cooks
Hey, yes you can! You'll need to adjust (possibly double, but depends on your beef) cook times though
Christine loy
I tried this recipe and it turned out great, very simple and nice.
Fatima Cooks
Glad to hear you liked it!
Iga
Hello! I want to make this dish tomorrow. Can I marinate the meat today to make it more flavour full? What spices should I use? Thank you!
Fatima Cooks
Hi! There's no way you could marinate the meat to be honest, since there's no marinating liquid and it's mostly whole spices used. One thing you could do however is prepare the recipe till step 7 the day before, then allow it to sit till the next day. The meat gets a chance to sit in the flavourful broth and spices for a while, which is kind of like marinating 😁 This definitelty helps deepen the flavour.
Farzaana
easy one pot recipe, my family who usually only eat seconds if it is take aways had 3 or 4 helpings. Thanks so much!
Pulao eater
Lovely, and easy!
Rosalyn
This is a brilliant recipe. The food has tasted fantastic and I have had excellent results every time.
aamina
realy tyasty enjoyed
Indi
Thank you for this recip. I truly enjoyed it ☺️
Vian
Thank you so much for posting this recipe, really look forward to try it today; it says yield is 3, how can I make it for 6 people? Do I double all the ingredients?
Fatima
Hi Vian! You can double everything in the recipe however the quantity of water you'll need may likely change to about about 8.5 cups. As per the instructions in step 7, you'll have to double check once you add the rice. Aside from that, everything can be doubled x
Zehra A
Thank you so much for this recipe. It is on regular rotation at our place for guests and special occasions (and sometimes when a craving hits). My mother is a spectacular Pakistani cook, and she always asks me to cook pulau. My kids love it, my mother and mother in law love it, and even our non-Pakistani neighbors love it, and I love it. My husband’s aunt is still talking about that fragrant pulau, months after her visit. I cook the yakhni in the Instant Pot and then transfer over into a large pot on the stove before adding rice. My husband and daughter like potatoes so I also add 2-3 small potatoes. I am trying your Chicken Pulau recipe today and it smells divine! Thank you!
Zehra A
Thank you so much for this recipe. It is on regular rotation at our place for guests and special occasions (and sometimes when a craving hits). My mother is a spectacular Pakistani cook, and she always asks me to cook pulau. My kids love it, my mother and mother in law love it, and even our non-Pakistani neighbors love it, and I love it. My husband’s aunt is still talking about that fragrant pulau, months after her visit. I cook the yakhni in the Instant Pot and then transfer over into a large pot on the stove before adding rice. My husband and daughter like potatoes so I also add 2-3 small potatoes. I am trying your Chicken Pulau recipe today and it smells divine! Thank you!
Fatima
I am so glad to hear, Zehra! Thank you so much for sharing. I also enjoy adding a few potatoes too sometimes, kids love it!
MJ Horton
We are considering this recipe for a Banquet for 200 (along with several other Pakistani and Indian dishes). We would be making 2 catering pans of this. Is this a recipe that could be made the day before and reheated for the buffet line? It looks so good.... I would really like to include it.
Jessica R
This was fantastic… I was so sceptical of the volume of spices but it was great. Next time I’ll brown the lamb separately as the spices were catching. I also needed to add a fair bit more salt ( I admit I didn’t taste the broth as directed)
My kids absolutely loved it! It will join the regular rotation.
Fatima
I am so happy to hear that, Jessica! Thank you for sharing
Joe
Hey I'm excited to try this recipe tonight! My mum used to make a lamb pilau for us growing up, so I'm keen to try an authentic recipe.
One thing, in step 2 it says to add in ginger, but there's no ginger in the ingredients list - I'm going to assume it should be 1.5tbs of grated ginger instead of garlic as it says?
Fatima
Hi Joe, thanks for pointing this out. I've amended it in the recipe card. You were right to assume 1.5 ts grated ginger
VandaH
Wow wow wow! I've been looking for this recipe for 20 years! Growing up, my best friend's mom made pilau and it was incredible. I always found a way to stay for dinner when it was on the menu. I have tried over the years to recreate it and failed miserably. But this recipe! THIS RECIPE! This is as close to Mrs. Gandhi's pilau that I've ever come and my family is thrilled. I am thrilled! The only change I make is to use beef instead of lamb because that's how Mrs. Gandhi made it. Thank you so much!!!!
Fatima
Wow, what an amazing comment! Thank you so much for sharing this with me, I am so honoured that I was able to recreate the flavours of Mrs Gandhi's pilau for you. I hope you keep enjoying this recipe - it's one of my favourites! Take care x
Jenghis
Hi Fatima,
Great website, recipe looks really good!!
Please can you tell me how much 1 cup is in grams for the rice and how much 1 cup is for the water in millilitres?
Are you using British cup or American cup sizes? Ideally a metric version of recipes would be really helpful and easier to follow.
Also for the spices can you crush them before placing in the muslin bag to help release flavour or perhaps even dry roasting to increase flavour? Would you recommend?
Look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards,
Jenghis..
P.S. Please can you add a traditional Pakistani Chapli Kebab Recipe - The "One Kebab" that rules all Kebab's.. 🙂
Fatima
Hi Jenghis! You'll be glad to know, I do have a chappali kebab recipe in the pipeline!
In regards to the cups, that is a good suggestion thank you. All my 'cups' are standard measuring cups which are 250mls.
Crushing the spices is a wonderful idea and I'd say go for it!
Thank you for your comment!
Rimsha
Hi Fatima, I usually dont post comments but I have to thank you for your recipes! I moved away from Pakistan for studies and now work and due to your recipes I am able to enjoy amazing Pakistani food abroad.
I started cooking about 2 years ago and I found desi food could easily go wrong but all the recipes I tried from your blog turned out amazing. I am making this the lamb pilau today. Thank you so much for all the recipes and the detailed breakdown with pictures!
Fatima
Thank you SO so much for your kind words, Rimsha. I'm so happy you enjoy them <3 All the best!
Amber
Thank you for making my cooking life easier with this recipe!! I’m so happy I don’t need to cook this using two pots, sieves or take out spices! This recipe is faultless and exceptional! I’ve made it many times and get lots of compliments! May Allah reward you and increase your blessings Inshallah❤️
Fatima
Thank you so so much Amber!! I'm sooo happy to hear that! Allahuma barik <3
Beers micky four fingers
Top menu bro
Mashallah did it worked out well salam
Balal Ahmad
Excellent recipe easy to follow taste and smells great
Sara Altaf
In the ingredients you said 2.5 cups of rice but when you talked about garnishing with onions, you talked about 3 cups of rice.
How many cups of rice shall I put?
Thank you. Want to make for eid.
Fatima
Sarah, definitely follow what is written in the instructions.
The mention of how much fried onions to use for garnish is just a ratio I mentioned in the notes.
Jahanara Begum
Thank you so much Fatima for this delicious recipe. I’m a Bengali married to a Pakistani and this is my husbands favourite dish of all time. I’ve tried to cook this in the past but have always failed until I came across this recipe. I even impressed my in laws with it. So grateful to you for the recipe. J x
Fatima
Thank you so much!
Guv Bassi
Hi Fatima
Great recipe and looking forward to trying it. Could you clarify the 'cups' for the water and rice as this always confuses me. Exact measurements would be good or what it is that you define as a cup! Keep up the brilliant work!
Fatima
a cup means 250mls 🙂
Yasmine
Hey
How long roughly do you brown the meat for. I've made this dish from your recipe twice but struggle to get my rice the same colour as yours and would prefer it like yours. Thank you
Fatima
Hmmm, good question! I'd say 15 minutes?
Saddiqua
Hi Fatima,
Do you leave the 10 whole cloves of garlic in, or do they cook and disentegrate in the rice? I'm worried there will be big chunks of garlic once the rice is cooked. PS. Your recipes are so easy to make and delicious. So glad I found your website.
Thanks
Saddiqua
Fatima
Thank you!
The garlic will disintegrate! But if it makes you uncomfortable, you can mince them before adding
Jasmine Willadsen
Hi! I made this recipe- thanks for putting a lot of effort into writing up the recipe! It tasted quite good! The only issue I had was, after sauteeing the onions, ginger, garlic and cumin seeds, and then adding the lamb pieces, the onions etc started to burn in order for me to be able to sear the lamb.. 🙁 I ended up having to just put the water in before the lamb was fully seared/browned
Fatima
Hi, thank you! I reckon this happened because the onions etc had been fried a bit too much OR could be because the oil was too hot. Sorry to hear that happened!
Maliya Seraj
What is the amount of people that can be served this typical dish without changing the measurements.
Tay
Hey Fatima,
Just wanted to ask at what stage do you remove the muslin cloth with the spices in?
Thank you!
Tay x
Fatima
Hi Tay! You can keep it in the entire time. Remove before serving
Rafay
You didn't mention when to take the muslin cloth out?
Fatima
You don't need to take it out! I will edit to mention this in the post
Jordan Fitt
Hi Fatima i want to make this tomorrow.
I have everything in for it.. i have 1lb lamb chops that need using do you think i could use them for this? Thank you.. also do i cook with lid off apart from for last 20 mins? Thank you x
Fatima
Absolutely, chops would be divine!
Also, the final 20 minutes are with the lid
NJSJ
This is my go to for batch cooking, my favourite meal if I close my eyes and imagine what I would like. Your flavours and combinations are just fabulous. I literally think I love you! 😉
Ayesha Osmani
Under ingredients you stated 10 cloves of garlic and then 1.5 tbsp of freshly grated GARLIC...again. Did you mean grated GINGER? That's what I added as I didn't think it's supposed to be that much garlic! ;o)
Fatima
Thanks for pointing that out! Didn’t realise 😅
Kiran Haidri
Hey Fatima which cuts of meat would you advise are best to use. I usually get a leg of lamb in small pieces but my kids always end up boti hunting-
Fatima
Hi Kiran. We usually prefer shoulder for our curries. Hope that works for you!