It isn’t humble by any means; a Biryani is pompous, showy and majestic, with its pop of colour, its many layers, its distinct, sharp flavour and its vast array of spices, some of which only leave the spice cabinet when it’s ’time to cook Biryani’. Unlike it’s more mature and subtle brother, Pilau, a Biryani is loud, fiery and fierce. A Biryani is nothing to be taken lightly. It’s a lengthy process, but oh so worth it in the end!
What is Biryani?
Biryani is a lavish rice dish cooked in the South of Asia and also across the Middle East. It is characterised by a flavoursome, aromatic masala, usually consisting of some sort of meat (though not always) layered with rice. It can certainly be likened to layering and mixing a curry with rice (although it is A LOT more than that!) There are many different types of Biryanis; many regions have their own sort of Biryani: Hyderabadi Biryani, Bombay Biryani, Bengali Biryani, Kachhi Biryani etc. Biryani can also be cooked with chicken, fish, prawns, vegetables - it truly is a unique and versatile dish!
What is a Sindhi Biryani?
Originating from the province of Sindh which is now found in Pakistan, a Sindhi Biryani is an aromatic Biryani which differs in many ways from other Biryanis. It often (but not always!) lays its hand light on the heat and emphasises on the crisp flavours of mint, lemon and coriander and has a pronounced tang thanks to the dried plums. What also sets a Sindhi Biryani apart from others is that it uses potatoes and dried plums in the masala - other kinds of Biryani don’t necessarily require either of these. The most traditional of Sindhi Biryani recipes also use dried fruits and nuts in the garnish.
The elaborate task of cooking a biryani… how do you make it?
The first time you make a Biryani, it feels like an incredibly daunting task. There are indeed a lot of steps. It takes a lot of time if you use a red meat like lamb, and you end up using a lot of cooking utensils. Hello, sink full of dishes! Here’s a very summarised brief on the way Biryani is made: Wow, that was quite a feat to even type up! I have provided step-by-step direction pictures in the recipe card to help make this whole process less daunting. If you find the idea of making a Biryani daunting, I promise you after a few tries it becomes a lot more approachable. Pakka wada!
Using lamb meat in this recipe
In the UK, lamb is usually the favoured red meat of choice to use in Pakistani households. I am aware lamb isn’t as commonly used in Pakistan or other countries such as the US. Goat (mutton) and beef are more popular options there. This recipe can definitely be altered to accommodate for this. If you’d like to use beef, you can just sub the lamb for beef with no additional changes. If you use goat, you’ll need to cook the curry part of the recipe for about an hour longer and will need to add about a cup extra of water.
Why I LOVE this Lamb Biryani
What’s there not to love about a well cooked, beautiful Sindhi lamb Biryani?! I love the soft and floury potatoes in this particular Biryani - it’s probably what has won me over. Tender chunks of lamb, tangy dried plums, heapings of fresh mint and coriander and zesty slices of lemon also help cement its place as my ultimate favourite Biryani. I’m also a HUGE fan of a good Kabuli Pilau with its fried raisins and I love how a Sindhi Biryani brings in this element too. I’ll be very honest with you all and say I’m not a fan of a very spicy Biryani. Give me a mild Biryani which is heavy on the cardamom, mint and lemon and I’ll show you a plate wiped clean! But that aside, a heavy hand on the heat is typical of a traditional Biryani and I’ve kept this in mind while developing this recipe. If you aren’t a fan of the heat like me, taste adjust the red chilli and black pepper to your liking.
To add potatoes, or not?
There are two kinds of people in this world. People who love potatoes in their Biryani, and people who don’t. Where do you fall? I am firmly in the ‘LOVE potatoes’ camp. I cannot fathom Biryani without it! This is another reason why I absolutely adore this Biryani recipe - Sindhi Biryanis include potatoes and it just works SO well. If you’re in the ’no potatoes’ camp, then you can simply x0.5 the amount of lamb in the recipe to make up for the loss of potatoes.
How to serve Lamb Biryani
Enjoy this Lamb Biryani with a cooling raita (yoghurt) and salad. I was low on salad veggies the day I cooked this, so I served it with some red onions soaked in a bit of vinegar, which works wonderfully too. Here’s an old image of this Biryani which was previously on the blog. I opted to serve the fried raisins and nuts on the side. Many people don’t actually appreciate sweet or nutty tones with savoury foods so it may be best to keep them out of the actual rice so whoever wants them can help themselves. In those old pictures, I served this lamb biryani on a chaabi which is traditionally used to serve bread in. I used this because I just loved how colourful it looks and felt like it would really convey the pompous vibes of this Biryani. I lay a sheet of foil down before adding the rice in order to keep the chaabi from getting ruined. Enjoy, with love x
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