Kamini’s Cauliflower Rice Lamb Biriyani
- Prep Time: 24 hours 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 25 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings
Description
Kamini scales down the classic family sized biriyani to a carb-concious meal for two.
Ingredients
The night before
Marinated Lamb
¼ C (60 ml) coconut oil
1 red onion (110 g), sliced
400 g bone-in lamb shoulder
¼ tsp (1,25 ml) somph (fennel seeds)
½ tsp (2,5 ml) jeera (cumin)
1 Tbsp (15 ml) masala
1 clove garlic (6 g)
2 red chillies
3g ginger, grated
1 whole tinned tomato, squashed (70g)
1 tsp (5 ml) lemon juice
1 tsp (5 ml) garam masala
salt (to taste)
2 cm stick of cinnamon
1 elachi (cardamom pod)
2 whole cloves
Lentils
1 Tbsp (15 ml) brown lentils
Water
The next day
Biriyani
150 g potato (skin on), quartered
¼ C (60 ml) coconut oil, melted
1 tsp (5 ml) fine salt
pinch of turmeric powder
400 g grated cauliflower (stems included)
6 strands saffron
2 Tbsp (30 ml) warm water
¼ tsp (1,25 ml) salt
¼ C (60 ml) plain yoghurt
55 g red onion, sliced plus ⅓ of the previously fried red onions
25 ml water
2 sprigs fresh mint
Pomegranate Raita
½ C (125 ml) full fat plain yogurt
50 cm cucumber cubed
1–2 Tbsp (15–30 ml) pomegranate arils
pinch of salt
Instructions
Biriyani – The night before
Heat the coconut oil in a frying pan, add the onions and sauté for 20-25 minutes until golden. Drain and set aside.
Chop the lamb into bite-sized cubes. Rinse and allow to drain in a colander.
In a pestle and mortar, grind the somph and jeera spices with the chilli, garlic and ginger. To this paste, add the tomato, lemon juice and garam masala. Add a third of the fried onions into the marinade. Season to taste before pouring over the lamb. Add the whole spices cinnamon, clove and elachi. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.
Lentils
Soak the lentils in water overnight.
The next day
Lentils
Boil the soaked brown lentils for 2-3 minutes until soft. Drain and reserve for later.
Biriyani
Take the lamb out of the fridge at least 1 hour before you cook it so that it can come to room temperature.
Heat the oven to 180 ºC.
Drizzle the potato cubes with 1 tablespoons of melted coconut oil; add the salt and turmeric and toss to coat. Spread out on an oven tray and bake for 25-30 minutes. Set aside.
Spread the cauliflower out onto a baking sheet and pour over a tablespoon of melted coconut oil. Season with salt. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden.
Place the saffron into the warm water and allow it to sit and infuse.
Mix the yoghurt into the lamb. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add the lamb into the pot and place a sprig of mint into the pot with 50 ml water. Divide the lentils across the top of the contents and allow to simmer gently for 45 minutes until the meat is tender. If the meat is still a little tight, cook for an additional 20-30 minutes. Once the mean is cooked, layer the potatoes over the meat.
When the cauliflower rice is done, layer over the potatoes and meat and spread the rest of the cooked onions over the top. Pour the saffron water over the cauliflower rice and allow to cook for another 10-15 minutes.The water must evaporate completely before serving.
Pomegranate Raita
Mix all of the ingredients for the raita together and season to taste. Set aside until ready to use.
Serve lamb biriyani with pomegranate raita on the side.