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Stovetop lamb biryani

Stovetop lamb biryani served on a sharing plate

Stovetop lamb biryani

Name: Stovetop lamb biryani
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 5 green cardamom pods; 5 cloves; 2cm cinnamon stick; 450g lamb rump cut into 2cm cubes; 250g tomatoes roughly chopped; 3 tbsp Greek yogurt; 1 large onion roughly chopped; 3 garlic cloves roughly chopped; 10g ginger peeled and roughly chopped; 1 green chilli deseeded and roughly chopped; small handful of coriander roughly chopped; 2½ tsp ghee; ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder; ¼ tsp ground turmeric; 200g basmati rice; 3 green cardamom pods; 2cm pandan leaf (optional); 75g raw cashew nuts; 2 curry leaf sprigs leaves picked; 4 fridge-cold eggs

Ranji Thangiah

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Serves 4

More effort

Prep: 30 mins

Cook: 1 hr and 15 mins

plus at least 2 hrs marinating

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Make a dish that brings people together with a classic biriyani. It's ideal as a feasting centrepiece when you have family and friends over for dinner

High-protein

Low sugar

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We eat around 2pm, starting with foie gras and sweet Monbazillac wine – a throwback to when we lived in Paris. Then, we move to the Sri Lankan part: biryani, chocolate biscuit pudding, before Sri Lankan Christmas cake and tea. For our family, biryani is the dish that brings people together. It’s special because it connects me to my Sri Lankan heritage through spices, cashew nuts and curry leaves. The recipe and how it’s made has changed over the years, but it will always be our feasting centrepiece. Ranji Thangiah

Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

5 green cardamom pods
5 cloves
2cm cinnamon stick
450g lamb rump

cut into 2cm cubes
250g tomatoes

roughly chopped
3 tbsp Greek yogurt

For the biryani

1 large onion

roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves

roughly chopped
10g ginger

peeled and roughly chopped
1 green chilli

deseeded and roughly chopped
small handful of coriander

roughly chopped
2½ tsp ghee
½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
¼ tsp ground turmeric
200g basmati rice
3 green cardamom pods
2cm pandan leaf

(optional)
75g raw cashew nuts
2 curry leaf sprigs

leaves picked

To serve

4 fridge-cold eggs

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Nutrition: Per serving

kcal710
fat31g
saturates13g
carbs68g
sugars8g

low
fibre4g
protein38g

high
salt0.93g

low

Method

step 1

Tip the cardamom pods, cloves and cinnamon into a small frying pan over a medium heat and toast for 1-2 mins until fragrant. Crush to a coarse powder using a pestle and mortar, discarding the cardamom husks. Put the lamb in a large bowl with the tomatoes, yogurt and 1/2 tsp fine sea salt. Add the crushed spices and mix well. Leave to marinate for at least 2 hrs, or overnight.
step 2

For the biryani, blitz half the onion with the garlic, ginger, chilli and coriander in a small food processor until finely chopped. Set aside. Melt 11/2 tsp ghee in a deep-sided, lidded saucepan over a medium heat and cook the remaining onions for 7-9 mins until soft and the edges are golden. Add the chilli powder, turmeric, blitzed onion mixture and a pinch of salt. Stir well, then add the lamb and any leftover marinade. Stir well, cover with the lid, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 mins.
step 3

Meanwhile, bring a pan of 300ml water to the boil. Tip in the rice, cardamom pods and pandan leaf, if using, and boil for 4-5 mins. Drain and remove the cardamom pods and pandan leaf. Set aside.
step 4

Melt the remaining ghee in a small frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry the cashews for 3-4 mins until golden. Tip into a small bowl and set aside. Add the curry leaves to the pan and cook for a minute, then set aside with the cashew nuts.
step 5

Uncover the lamb. Scatter over the rice, cashew nuts and curry leaves. Cover again and cook over a low heat for 20 mins, or until the rice is soft and fluffy.
step 6

Meanwhile, bring a small pan of water to the boil, carefully drop in the eggs and cook for 6-7 mins. Drain well, peel, then cut in half. Stir the rice, cashews and curry leaves into the meat, then spoon onto a serving platter and serve with the boiled eggs on top.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, December 2025

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