Lamb Biryani Of Sorts
My love of rice cooked with big flavours continues - a quick, spiced one-pan biryani you can pull off on a Tuesday with a gin and tonic in your free hand.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS
rice bran oil, for pan-frying
500g lamb mince
1/2 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 tsp curry powder
3 cardamom pods, lightly bruised
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp curry leaves
3 tbsp sultanas or currants
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp tomato paste
200ml coconut milk
1 cup basmati rice
2 cups chicken stock
salt, for seasoning
2 handfuls baby spinach
Optional, to serve
pappadums
plain yoghurt
thinly sliced cucumber
mint leaves
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Heat a splash of oil in an ovenproof frying pan over medium-high heat.
Shape the lamb mince into a large patty and place it in the pan. Let it brown on one side like a burger, then flip in chunks at a time, allowing each piece to brown before breaking it up further. Over-stirring drops the heat and stews the mince, so let it go hard on one side first.
Add the sliced onion and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until the mince is cooked through.
Add the curry powder, cardamom, cinnamon, curry leaves, sultanas or currants and mustard seeds. Fry for a few minutes until fragrant.
Stir in the tomato paste and coconut milk.
Add the basmati rice and stir to coat everything evenly.
Pour in the chicken stock and season with salt.
Place the pan in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the rice is cooked through.
Serve with fresh spinach leaves and your choice of pappadums, yoghurt, cucumber and mint.
HINTS
Browning the lamb mince in one large patty before breaking it up develops far more flavour than frying it loose from the start.
Make sure the rice is fully submerged and coated in the stock before it goes in the oven, or it will cook unevenly.
A scattering of fresh mint right at the end lifts the whole dish - don't skip it if you have some on hand.
NUTRITION (per recipe total, serves 4 guide only):
Energy: 10500 kJ (2510 cal)
Protein: 115 g
Fat: 130 g
Saturated fat: 62 g
Carbohydrate: 220 g
Sugars: 30 g
Sodium: 3800 mg
This nutrition information is a guide only and may vary depending on brands, exact quantities, and ingredient substitutions used.