This Hairy Bikers lamb biryani comes from their Great Curries book. It layers yoghurt-marinated neck fillet under saffron rice, then seals the pot with a dough lid so the steam stays in. It serves six at around 750 calories a portion, with eight hours of marinating before the cooking even starts.
The sealed pot is the whole point, and it is what makes this a proper dum biryani rather than a rushed curry-house version. A rope of flour-and-water dough is pressed around the rim so the lid clamps tight. That traps every bit of steam and flavour inside while it bakes.
The other thing that lifts it is parboiling the rice for seconds, not minutes. You drop the soaked basmati into spiced boiling water, bring it back to the boil, then drain it straight away. It finishes cooking in the trapped steam and never turns to a clump.
Hairy Bikers Lamb Biryani Recipe
Description
Si and Dave’s sealed-pot lamb biryani where neck fillet marinates overnight in spiced yoghurt, then bakes under saffron basmati rice with a dough lid clamping the pot shut. Allow eight hours marinating before you start cooking.
Ingredients
For the Lamb and Marinade:
For the Rice:
For the Saffron Milk:
To Seal:
Instructions
- Fry the onions: Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onions over a medium heat for about twenty minutes, stirring, until soft. Turn up the heat and fry hard for another three to five minutes until well browned, then tip into a bowl and cool.
- Marinate the lamb: In a large bowl, mix the garlic, ginger, bay leaf, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, cayenne, paprika, turmeric, lemon juice, yoghurt, mint, salt, sugar and half the fried onions, with a few twists of pepper. Add the lamb and turn to coat, then cover and chill for at least eight hours or overnight. Chill the remaining onions separately.
- Soak the rice: Forty minutes before assembling, rinse the basmati, cover with cold water and soak for thirty minutes. Meanwhile, warm the saffron in the milk for a few seconds without boiling, then leave to infuse for thirty minutes.
- Parboil the rice: Half-fill a large pan with water, add the split chillies, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and salt and bring to the boil. Drain the soaked rice, tip it in, bring back to the boil and drain immediately so the rice stays underdone.
- Assemble: Toss the drained rice with the reserved onions and chopped coriander. Stir the marinated lamb and tip it into a large casserole that holds about 4 litres. Spoon the rice loosely over the lamb, drizzle the saffron milk over the top and dot with the ghee.
- Seal the pot: Preheat the oven to 190°C/Fan 170°C/Gas 5. Mix the flour and water into a soft dough, roll into two long ropes and press them around the rim of the casserole. Brush with water, fit the lid on top and press to seal, pushing the dough against the side.
- Cook and serve: Set the sealed casserole on the hob over high heat for ten minutes to get it steaming, then bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Crack the seal and lift the lid after fifty minutes to check: the rice should be fluffy and the lamb tender. Serve straight from the pot.
FAQs
Why do you seal the pot with dough?
The dough rope clamps the lid down so no steam escapes during baking, which is what makes a true dum biryani. All the moisture from the lamb, yoghurt and rice stays trapped inside. So the rice steams in pure flavour rather than drying out in the oven.
You crack the seal at the table, and the burst of fragrant steam is half the theatre of the dish. It is not just for show though, because without that tight seal the rice on top would dry out before the lamb underneath turned tender.
Can I make lamb biryani without sealing it?
Yes, if you do not fancy making the dough. Use a tight-fitting lid and lay a sheet of foil under it, pressed down well, to mimic the seal as closely as you can. The result is very nearly as good, though the dough does give a slightly better steam lock.
The bikers’ Great Curries book uses the dough method because it is traditional and it works. But a heavy casserole with a snug lid will still trap most of the steam. Just resist lifting the lid during cooking, because every peek lets the steam out.
Why parboil the rice for only seconds?
The rice finishes cooking inside the sealed pot, so it only needs a quick scald at the start. You bring it back to the boil in the spiced water, then drain it the moment it gets there. It should still be firm and underdone in the middle.
Boil it properly at this stage and it will overcook in the oven into a stodgy clump, which the bikers warn against directly. Underdone rice plus trapped steam equals separate, fluffy grains, and that is the texture you are after.
What is the best lamb for biryani?
Neck fillet is what this recipe uses because it stays succulent through the long marinade and bake without drying out. Diced shoulder works too and gives a similar richness, while leg is leaner and can toughen, so it is the weakest choice here.
The eight-hour yoghurt marinade does a lot of the work, since the acid and the enzymes tenderise the meat before it even hits the oven. If you want more ideas for the cut, the lamb neck fillet recipes roundup has several other ways to use it.
What goes with lamb biryani?
A biryani is a complete meal of meat and rice, so it needs very little alongside. A bowl of cooling raita, some mango chutney and warm naan are the classic partners. The yoghurt in the raita is especially good against the warm spice.
Cooking for a crowd is where biryani shines, so add a couple of contrasting dishes. A fiery lamb vindaloo brings the heat, while a saucier lamb curry with spinach gives you something to spoon over the dry, fragrant rice.
