Comfort Food Part II: Lamb Biryani

Biryani is a rice-based dish eaten in the Middle East and South Asia that consists of meat, vegetables, spices and yogurt.

I first tried it in a Persian restaurant called Byblos in Montreal when I was on holiday a few weeks back. When I got back to Vancouver I found myself craving it and decided to try and make it. I used lean, ground lamb instead of beef which added an extra richness to the dish. I sauteed the lamb with a heady mix of cumin, paprika, a cinnamon stick and ground chili to reduce its 'lambiness'.

The Biryani I had at Byblos was much drier than my version but I preferred the extra moisture of my tomato-based sauce. To top the dish off I added fresh lemon juice, parsley and lots of fresh mint; mint being one of my favourite herbs. This addition balanced the rich flavour of lamb perfectly.

I will be adding this recipe to Weekend Herb Blogging hosted this week by Pille of the blog Nami Nami.

To finish off the meal and cleanse our palates, I used the rest of the mint leaves to make a delicious mint tea by bruising the leaves and then putting them in a cup and adding hot water and a little wild honey.

Lamb Biryani Recipe
(Serves 2)

500 gms of lean ground lamb
1 medium white onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can of good quality canned tomatoes, chopped
A bunch of green beans, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 tsp of Paprika
1 1/2 tsp of Cumin
1/2 tsp of Chili powder
1 Cinnamon stick
A handful of fresh mint & parsley
Juice of half a lemon
1 1/2 tsp of sea salt
1 1/2 cups of Basmati rice
Scant 3 cups of water
2 tbs of olive oil

Method:

1. Cook the Basmati with scant 3 cups of water in a rice cooker or on the stove about 1/2 hour before you prepare the rest of the dish. Once the rice is ready, put it straight in the fridge so that it dries out. Put it in the fridge without a cover to quicken the drying/cooling process.   
2. Saute the onion in a medium saucepan over a moderate heat until translucent. Add the garlic and fry for about a minute.
3. Add the spices including the Cinnamon stick and fry for about 3 minutes to release the oils. Stir well.
4. Add the ground lamb and break it up stirring well to coat it in the spices. Add the salt. Lower the heat slightly and cook lamb for about 7 minutes or until browned.
5. Add the chopped canned tomatoes and about 300ml of the sauce from the can. Stir well and then add the beans.
6. Cover and simmer on a low heat for about 25 minutes.
7. The next step is to pour the lamb mixture into a pot or bowl containing the rice and mix thoroughly to coat it.
8. Have the lemon juice ready to stir through (to taste) the rice and lamb mixture.
9. Next, finely chop the parsley and mint and sprinkle over the Biryani when you are ready to serve.

Comments

[Hillary]

Whoa I've never had biryani before but that sounds like a killer combination, especially with lamb! Mmmm!

[Pille]

I love mint tea (my mum grows mint), but I don't use it nearly enough as a herb in savoury cooking. Thanks for inspiring me - and taking part in this week's WHB!

[Kalyn]

I've only had Biryani in restaurants, but it's such a delicious dish. I love the idea of lamb and mint in a dish like this too.

[Wendy]

I'm 100% with you. Lamb biryani is superb comfort food!

[KimdaCook]

This is 100% comfort food, were I am its over cast and rainy I think this would the perfect meal to make tonight,

[Kim Cooking]

Never thought I would be able to make this, but this recipe sound so easy, this would have to feature ion my list of comfort food.

[L Web]

I used to get my Indian friends too make this for me as I thought that it was so difficult to make but this recipe makes it sound as easy as 1 2 3......thanks for the great comfort food recipe!!!!! Nice site

[Eat Smart Age Smart]

Biryani is one of favorite dish although I'm very much calorie conscious. I didn't try biryani at home as it takes a long time to cook. But this weekend, I'm going to experiment with your recipe. Hope it turns out in a fabulous one!

[Emele Analiese]

So tasty recipe from such a beautiful woman - thanks for submitting it - I'll give it a try soon.

[Alex]

I want to make a lamb biryani without cutting corners. I prefer to make it from scratch, as much as possible I've tried a few recipes but they lacked flavour and i don't think I'm getting the spice mix right