Lamb Shank Biryani
Serves: 4 people
Takes: Over 1 hour
Are you ready to blow your mind?!
This recipe is the perfect show stopper dish and one for the weekend. Rich in spices, the lamb shank is full of falling-off-the-bone flavour, layered with fluffy rich saffron rice and what I like to call ‘goodies’.
This is truly a dish fit for the royal palaces of Rajasthan.
PS - don’t let the long ingredient list deter you…it’s totally worth it..So get your spice box out and get cooking!
Ingredients
For the Lamb Shank Marinade:
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon red chilli powder
½ teaspoon of sea salt
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 very large lamb shank, around 1kg (or 2 smaller lamb shanks)
To slow cook the Lamb Shank Masala:
2 tablespoons veggie oil, I like rapeseed oil (you can use ghee if you prefer)
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
3 green cardamom pods
2 black cardamom pods (optional)
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, roughly crushed
1 onion, finely chopped
3 fat cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ tablespoon root ginger, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon garam masala powder
1 tablespoon coriander powder
½ tablespoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder
good pinch of salt, to taste
3 tablespoons plain yoghurt
For the fluffy Saffron Rice:
300g basmati rice, washed well and soaked in water for 30 minutes
2 green cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
good pinch of saffron
salt, to taste
For the Goodies:
3 tablespoons veggie oil, I like rapeseed oil
1 large onion, sliced, to layer
1 tablespoon root ginger, julienned
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 chilli, sliced
handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped
good pinch of saffron, steeped in warm water
Method
Start with the marinade. In a large bowl mix the Lamb Shank Marinade ingredients together. Massage it into the lamb, cover and refrigerate overnight (if you have time).
Remove the lamb from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature while you start the Lamb Shank Masala. Gently heat the oil in a large deep pan and add the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, whole cloves, green cardamom and black cardamom (if using).
After 1 minute add the cumin seeds and stir well. Cook for a further minute before adding the fennel seeds.
Once they begin to sizzle add the chopped onions. Stir well and allow to cook for a few minutes or until they have turned soft and are starting to change colour to light golden brown.
Add the garlic and ginger allow to cook for a further minute.
Stir in the tomato puree and a good splash of water. Stir well.
After a few minutes add the turmeric powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder and a few tablespoons of water. Stir well.
Leave the masala to cook, allowing the spices to release their essential oils and aromas. This will take a few minutes and you will start to see a little oil rising to the surface. Stir often until it looks like all the masala has released most of its oils, adding a little more water if it starts to stick.
Add the marinated lamb.
Pour in plenty of water so it is almost covers the lamb. Stir well and bring to a simmer before lowering the heat, covering and allow to slow cook for at least 90 minutes. Check on it every now and again.
In the meantime, make the caramelised onions (Goodies) for layering through the biryani. Gently heat the oil and add the sliced onions. Sauté for around 30 minutes until golden brown, crispy and catching around the edges. Set them aside for later.
10 minutes before the lamb is cooked, it’s time to cook the Saffron Rice. Drain the water off the rice. Fill a pan with plenty of water, bring to the boil and add the spices and add a good pinch of salt. Add the soaked, drained rice and allow to cook for around 5 minutes or until the grains are almost cooked through. Drain off the excess water and set to one side.
Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°/gas 6.
The lamb will be falling off the bone by now so it’s time to finish the masala sauce. Remove the lamb shank and set aside, covering to keep warm.
Turn off the heat and stir the yogurt into the sauce. This will thicken it. Now it’s time to layer up the biryani.
In a heatproof dish, place the lamb shank in the middle. Pour over a ladle of masala sauce and add 1/3 of the fluffy Saffron Rice. Pour over a few tablespoons of masala sauce and sprinkle over 1/3 of the Goodies except the steeped saffron water. Repeat the layers of rice, masala and goodies making sure the final layer is the last of the crispy onions and coriander.
Drizzle over the steeped saffron water before covering tightly with some foil.
Pop in the oven for 15 minutes to steam and fuse the ingredients together.
Serve with lots of cooling Raita and your favourite pickle.
