Biryani

INGREDIENTS

Masala:
½ cup Supreme Whole Biryani Masala
15 Supreme Whole Dried Red Chillies
4 Supreme Star Aniseed
Generous pinch of Supreme Saffron
2 large Supreme Cinnamon Sticks
4 tbsp Supreme Coriander seeds
1 tbsp Supreme Nutmeg Powder
3 pieces of Supreme Mace
2 cups oil
Salt to taste

Rice:
1.4 kg of Lubna Super Kernel Sela Rice, soak in cold water two hours
3 tbsp Supreme Biryani Masala
Water
Salt to taste
1 cup warm water
Generous pinch of saffron
½ tsp Supreme Yellow Food Colour

Miscellaneous:
1 leg of lamb (2.8 kg)
2 ½ cups yogurt
400g fried onions
4 medium potatoes, cut into ¼ and fried
2 cups of warm water
250g butter, cut into small cubes

Garnish:
Fried onions
Supreme Cashews, fried
Fresh mint leaves

METHOD

1- Add all the spices for the to a spice/coffee grinder and grind to a coarse powder. Mix the spice blend with 2 cups of oil, check seasoning then set the marinade aside. Make incisions all over the lamb, pour ½ the marinade and rub well, including into incisions. Cover marinated leg and remaining ½ of the marinade and refrigerate for 24-48 hours. Preheat oven at 160°c and place lamb in a baking tray. To the remaining ½ of the marinade add yogurt and fried onions. Mix well, and add on top of the lamb. Cover the baking tray with foil and cook for 3-4 hours (depending on the size of the leg) or until lamb is fully cooked.

2 – In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and whole biryani masala and once the water is boiling, add rice and cook until 80% done . Drain rice and then cool. Once rice is fully cooled divide into three equal parts.

3 – Take lamb out of the oven. Remove leg from tray (there will be a generous amount of Masala left in the pan). To ⅓ of the rice add desired amount of masala (left in the baking tray), gently mix well and set aside.

4- Add Saffron and yellow food colour to a cup of warm water and mix into the other ⅓ of the rice, and set aside. Leave the last ⅓ of rice plain.

5- To assemble, layer the rice on a oven proof platter. First layer masala rice, white rice, fried potatoes and then saffron rice. Sprinkle 2 cups of water and dot butter all over the rice. Place the lamb on top the rice and cover with foil. Cook in the oven at 160°c for another hour. Garnish with fried onions, fried cashews and fresh mint leaves. Serve immediately with desired accompaniments.

Tip: for the perfect meat to rice ratio, weigh the meat and (for the rice) use half of the weighed amount of the meat. For example, leg of lamb weighs 2.8kg then 1.4kg of rice is needed