Lamb Pilaf

5 from 1 vote

Delicious lamb curry cooked with aromatic spices, mixed with rice and cooked in the oven. Definitely a crowd pleaser

Prep Time1

Cook Time3

Total Time4

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: indian lamb dish, lamb pilaf

Servings:

2 kg lamb cut into pieces
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp light olive oil
4x 5cm pieces cinnamon sticks
4 star aniseed
4 black cardamom
6 bay leaf
2 large onion finely chopped
3 sprigs curry leaf
2 green chillies
10 sprigs thyme
3 tbsp ginger/garlic paste
2 tbsp medium masala See Note 2
2 tbsp kashmiri chilli powder
6 teaspoon ground coriander
4 teaspoon ground cumin
3 teaspoon ground fennel/soomph
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tbsp garam masala
5 roma tomatoes soak in boiling water for 2 minutes, rinse under cold water, remove skin and blend
1 cup plain yogurt full fat or low fat
1 cup loosely packed mint leaves
salt
6 potatoes each cut into 4 cubes
2 small onion fried until brown and crisp
2 cups water See Note 1
fresh coriander for garnishing

Rinse your rice well. Add salt, cinnamon sticks and cardamom to the rice and cook as per package instructions until the rice is half cooked
Strain the rice, add the 3 tablespoons butter, a sprinkle of egg yellow food coloring and set aside

Heat 3 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon light olive oil in a large pot
Add the whole spices, cinnamon, bay leaf, star aniseed and black cardamom. Fry until fragrant
Add the curry leaf, chilli, thyme and onion. Fry until the onion is golden brown
Add the ginger/garlic paste and sauté for a minute
Add the masala, chilli powder, fennel, turmeric, cumin, coriander and garam masala. Mix well and fry the spices for a minute. Add a drop of water to prevent the spices from burning
Add the lamb pieces. Mix well and allow it to fry with the spices for 5 to 8 minutes
Add yogurt, tomatoes and mint
Season with salt. Cover and simmer on low heat for an hour to an hour and a half until lamb is soft and tender. Add some water if the curry is drying out. I didn't add any water to mine

Boil potatoes until they are half cooked. Remove the skin, cut each potato into 4 pieces. Sprinkle with some salt and shallow fry them until slightly brown. Set aside

Thinly slice the 2 extra onion and fry in about half a cup of oil on a low to medium heat until they are golden brown and crisp. Add a sprinkle of salt halfway through

Mix the cooked lamb and the potatoes together with the rice. Pour in 2 cups of water. Sprinkle the crispy onion on top. Cook in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for an hour or until the rice and potatoes are cooked. Garnish with coriander

The amount of water you add before cooking in the oven could vary. I added 2 cups as potatoes take much longer to cook as I am at higher altitude. You may also need more than 2 cups of water if your rice was fairly undercooked. You may require much less so please use your discretion on this one.
Here in SA we masala is sold in almost all spice shops, however if you don't have some you can increase the amount of Kashmiri Chilli Powder, depending on how hot you prefer it, the Pilaf will still taste good
I prefer fresh thyme and not the dried one, the dried thyme is a little overpowering
You can add some saffron if you prefer. Personally I don't like the taste of saffron in this Pilaf
If you want to cook the Pilaf in the oven for longer you can undercook your lamb and let if cook in the oven on a low temperature for a few hours. You have to keep a close eye on it so it doesn't dry out