Rice, Lesson #4 The Lamb Dum Biryani

Rice is the most important food crop of the developing world and a staple food for more than half of the world’s population. It is an excellent source of complex carbohydrates to sustain good health is rich in nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. There are many different types of rice with several qualities, suiting different consumer preferences. Quality factors in rice are related to the length of the grain, stickiness, aroma, texture, and flavour.

Although cooked in several different ways, on their own, they are extensively used in a wide variety of food. The egg whites help give volume, thicken, bind mixtures, glaze surfaces and the egg yolks help to emulsify.

‍Recipe of the day - The Lamb Dum Biryani

‍Biryani is one of the most popular rice dishes in the Indian subcontinent and it is a well-balanced mixture of rice, meat, vegetables, yoghurt, and many spices. There are over 26 different types of known variants of Biryani across the region. Biryani originated in Persia and is derived from the Farsi word “Brian” meaning ‘roasted before cooking’. It was brought by the Persians to the north of India and this dish was then used as a “complete meal” to feed the army.This Biryani has a unique character due to the traditional technique of “Dum” used to cook it. “Dum” is a technique of slow cooking food in its own juices and aroma through the process of infusion, as the food is held together within a tightly sealed container, for a very succulent and aromatic outcome.

‍This Dish

‍Luxuriously spiced, delicately slow-cooked lamb, with the fragrant and highly seasoned basmati rice, all brought together with intense flavour.

‍Recipe Card

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‍Method of Preparation

For Meat Gravy

1. Place all ingredients for the marinade along with the meat, in a glass bowl, mix well and chill for at least 2 hours but ideally overnight for more intense flavour.
2. Heat ghee/oil in a pot, add in the marinated lamb, sauté on high heat for 5 minutes while stirring continuously to ensure that the spices are cooked
3. Add 1 cup of water, cover and simmer until the lamb becomes tender for about an hour. Add extra water if
4. Before switching off the fire, stir in the additional yoghurt.

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For the Rice

5. Prepare rice by rinsing it well until the water runs Soak for at least 30 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, in a stockpot, boil 1.2 litres of water with cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick and bay leaf and add enough salt to make the water salty (slightly saltier than you would like the rice to be).
7. Add the rice and let the water return to a boil. Boil for 3-4 minutes (until the rice suddenly fluffs up to three times its original volume), drain and set aside.

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To Assemble

8. Deep fry the remaining onion and set aside on an absorbent towel.
9. Soak saffron in 3 tbsp of hot water and set aside.
10. Place half of the meat and gravy on the base of a stockpot, then sprinkle one half of the mint, coriander, browned onions and slit chillies over it. Evenly spread half of the par-cooked rice over it and drizzle a few spoons of the oil in which the onion was fried, repeat the process one more time. Lastly, drizzle the saffron water over it.
11. Cover the pot with an aluminium foil or tight-fitting lid and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. A good indication that your Biryani is ready when the steam escaping from the edges of the lid, starts to reduce, indicating that the liquid on the base has evaporated. Be careful not to burn the base of the pot.
12. Serve hot with the yoghurt raita, which is a mixture of yoghurt, onions, tomato, cucumber, mint and coriander leaves, all finely chopped.

Tip: For a healthier option, cooking oil can be used instead of the ghee, but the ghee makes the dish more flavoursome. Alternatively use the entire amount of yoghurt in the marinade. Place the raw marinated meat at the bottom of a pan, add half of the chopped mint, coriander, slit green chillies and golden fried onion. Top it up with the par-cooked rice and spread the remaining fried onion, mint coriander, green chilli, Drizzle the saffron and cook on “Dum”, which is cooking on a low heat for a long period of time.