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–+ servings

Pakistani Lamb Pulao

A family favourite - My Lamb Pulao is one of my most frequently cooked meals at home and happens to be one I never mess up. Try it out - I'm certain it'll become a firm favourite for your house too!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 4
4.61 from 133 votes
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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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