Lamb Biryani
I have changed my recipe for this Lamb Biryani. I promise it is better than the previous one.
This biryani is packed with flavour and so delicious. Tender pieces of lamb, falling of the bone layered with a fragrant rice, what can be more tempting!
Lamb Biryani
Unlike a Lamb Pilaf where everything is mixed together, this Lamb Biryani is layered. It is commonly served at Indian functions.
It is one of the most delicious Biryanis you could eat. I have fond memories of eating it when I did eat lamb.
How is a Lamb Biryani Cooked
I do this the easy way. The meat is marinated overnight with all the herbs and spices.
I then cook the curry the next day, cook the rice separately, fry some potatoes and onion and layer them all in a flat pot.
It is then popped into the oven and you have a pot of deliciousness. Making a Biryani is a process, that I cannot lie about. But trust me it is worth the effort.
Spices
You will need a whole lot of spices to cook a biryani. This is one time I am going to say it is so needed.
Spicy doesn’t necessarily mean hot. As I keep stressing please roast your own spices and grind them, there is no other way in terms of flavor.
Fresh Herbs
My mum always uses fresh herbs in her cooking. It’s why you see me always adding fresh herbs to my dishes.
My fridge is always stocked with herbs and it’s something that’s always on my grocery list. It makes all the difference to this dish.
What Rice can I use
I do prefer to use Basmati Rice. My favorite brand of Basmati rice is the Maharani brand which is a Sella rice.
“Sella rice is one of the topmost types of rice that is prepared through the steaming and milling process. Simply put, the rice is processed by steaming the paddy and then drying it”.
It is a long grain rice and therefore stays fluffy. I have never had mushy rice since using the Sella Basmati rice.
There are other brands of Sella rice that you can use.
Cooking Time
Biryani is a lengthy process and takes a long time to cook. I prefer cooking my lamb for an hour or more so it is tender and falling off the bone.
I pop it into the oven for a further 2 hours. If you are living on the coast you may need to reduce the amount of water and the cooking time as your biryani may cook faster than it would at higher altitude.
You can also cook it on the stovetop on the lowest temperature until it’s cooked. It is not absolutely necessary to pop it into the oven, however in my personal opinion the oven does make a difference in terms of the taste
📽️ Watch how to make Lamb Biryani
Serving the Biryani
This Biryani is best served with some fresh Raita but Sambals could work too
More Recipes you many want to try:
Delicious Oven Baked Chicken Biryani
First Published – August 19th, 2020 Updated – May 6th, 2025
Lamb Biryani
Ingredients
Marinade
- 2 kg lamb pieces on the bone
- 1 cup yogurt
- 2 tbsp ginger/garlic paste
- 2 tbsp masala
- 1 tbsp kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground fennel/soomph
- 1/2 tsp ground elachie
- 1/2 cup chopped mint
- 1/2 cup chopped coriander
- 1 lemon use the juice
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 2 red chillies slit in half
- 2 green chillie slit in half
- 1 large onion fried until crisp
- 2 roma tomatoes skin removed and pureed
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- salt
Rice
- 2&1/2 cups basmati rice
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 8 elachie/cardamom pods
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 3 bay leaf
- 2 star anise
- 2 black cardamom
- 2 lemon slices
- salt
Other Ingredients
- 5 potatoes peeled and cut into wedges or cubes
- 2 large onion fried until crisp
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2&1/2 cups hot water
- extra coriander for garnishing
Cooking the lamb
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 onion thinly sliced
- 2 bay leaf
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 black cardamom
- 1 tablespoon whole spice grab a tablespoon from the packet of whole biryani mix (osmans or any other brand)
- 4 sprigs thyme
Dum
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon rose water
- pinch of saffron
- 1 teaspoon egg yellow food colouring
Instructions
- Slice the 2 onion (listed under "other ingredients") into thin slices. Add half a cup of oil to a pan and fry the onion until golden and crisp. Drain on a paper towel. You can fry them in two batches if you wish. You can also fry your potatoes (until slightly brown and crisp) in the same oil and set aside.
- For the "dum", heat the milk until warm. Add the saffron, rose water and food colouring and set aside.
- Fry one onion until golden and crisp. Place all the ingredients (listed under "marinade") in a bowl, together with the fried onion and mix well. Refrigerate overnight or at least an hour.
- When ready to cook the Biryani rinse the rice well, a few times, until the water runs clear. Place all the ingredients listed under "rice" in a pot together with some water, enough for the rice to be fully immersed in the water, and cook until the rice is about 60% cooked. Drain the rice, (no need to remove the lemon and whole spice) cover and set aside.
- In a large pot heat the butter and vegetable oil, on medium heat. Add the whole spice, cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaf and fry for a few seconds until fragrant. Add the onion and thyme and fry until the onion is golden brown. Add the marinated lamb and cooking for an hour on a low heat.
- Remove half of the lamb from the pot an set aside. Add half of the rice on top and half the potatoes. Add the other half of the lamb and then add the remaining potatoes.Add more fresh coriander. Sprinkle the rice on top. Drizzle the milk mixture over the rice. Sprinkle the 2 fried onion on top. Cube the butter and place over the rice. Drizzle 1&1/2 cups water over the biryani, seal the pot with foil. Place the lid on top and cook in the oven for 2 hours. After an hour check the moisture content and add the remaining 1 cup of water, if needed.
- Garnish the cooked biryani with coriander and serve hot with some raita
Notes
- Please note that I've used Maharani Rice (long grain basmati rice) and this never gets mushy. If you are using any rice I suggest you cook the lamb for longer and reduce the cooking time in the oven. This will prevent your rice from cooking too soft.
- The amount of water can be adjusted according to your discretion. Altitude will play a role in the cooking time
- If you do not have access to masala you can increase the amount of kashmiri chilli powder. Masala is different to garam masala. We use masala here in SA, it is a blend of spices that includes chilli powder.
- Lamb on the bone is preferred as it does add more flavor but you can use boneless lamb if you wish
- If you don't have the time to marinate overnight an hour is fine
Absolutely delicious 😋
Have used many of your recipes and find them all really easy to use.
Thank you so much Kubashni. I’m really happy to hear that. Take Care:-)
Definitely a great recipe for starters and Lorraine added a real clever approach to structuring the recipe which did not make – making the biryani a mammoth task at all. I e never made biryani before, with this being my first stab at it – it was successful!
Thank you so much Deshni. That’s wonderful to hear. Take Care:-)
Absolutely Delicious
Thank you so much Presha:-)
Divinely delicious 😋
Thank You
Hi Lorraine
I tried your lamb breyani recipe lastnite. It was delicious. Everyone in my family enjoyed it.
I would like to thank you for your roti and puri recipes as well. They are easy and full proof.
Will definitely be trying more of your recipes.
Thank you so much for the feedback Serina. I am really happy you’re enjoying the recipes:-)
Why don’t you add turmeric in your basmati rice?
Hi Lorraine..
Thank you for sharing delicious briyani recipe. We love briyani,
Loved all the combination of herbs n spices.
An absolute winner
Thank you so much Lallie. Glad to hear that you love the recipe. Appreciate your support always:-)