Lamb Biryani

Ingredients
1 kilo lamb cut into 2 inch pieces
12 small potatoes
8 medium onions; minced fine in a food processor
1/2 cup yogurt
2 inches ginger; grated
6 cloves garlic; minced
5 chillies minced
1/2 tspn saffron
8 large tomatoes (blanched, peeled and liquidised)
whole garam masala; 2 sticks cinamon, 4 pods cardomom, 5 cloves; 1/2 spn cumin seeds
2 tspn coriander/cumin powder
1/2 tspn tumeric
1 tspn garam masala
2 tablespn oil
salt to taste


For Rice
3 cups basmati rice; washed well; and soaked in water for 30 mins
salt
1 tbspn oil
1 tspn cumin
1/2 tspn saffron soaked in a little warm water















1. Marinate the lamb in yogurt, garlic, ginger, green chillis, half the tomatoes and saffron.
2. Deep fry the potatoes, these don't have to be cooked through, as long as the surface is sealed.
3. Heat the oil in a pan, add the whole masala, cook for about 3 minutes, the pods should have puffed up

4. Add the onions and fry until almost carmelised, this is the most important for biryani masala. You can buy prefried onions if you want - available in Indian shops.
5. Add the other half of tomatoes, cook for about 5 minutes, add the tumeric, cumin/coriander powders.
6. Add the marinated lamb and the potatoes, mix, making sure that lamb and potatoes are coated with the tomato/onion sauce. Cook for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile parboil the rice in 5 cups of water for 10 minutes, drain and add half the rice to a large oven proof container.
Add the lamb/potato/tomato mixture
Top with the other half of the rice
Fry the cumin in the oil

Pour the oil and cumin mixture on the rice
Pour the saffron and water mixture on the rice

Cove the rice, and place in the oven at 150 Centigrate for 45 minutes
Serve with a tomato and onion salad.

East African Biryani, same recipe, but keep the lamb and rice separate. Cook the rice, by heating oil in pan, add cumin seeds, add the washed, drained rice, add 41/2 cups water, bring to boil, reduce the heat, keeping the pan covered, cook for 15 minutes. Pour the saffron and water mixture on the rice. Serve the rice on a large platter with the meat sauce place on the top.