Lamb Shank Biryani Recipe | Authentic Nalli Dum Biryani
FineDiningIndian
December 19, 2020
This lamb shank biryani recipe is a rich, aromatic dum-style biryani made with whole lamb shanks, basmati rice, yogurt, fried onions, fresh mint, coriander and traditional biryani spices. The lamb is first marinated with ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, turmeric and Kashmiri chilli powder, then coated in a second yogurt-and-herb marinade for deeper flavour.
The partially cooked basmati rice is layered over the marinated lamb in stages, finished with saffron, fried onions, herbs and clarified butter, then tightly sealed and slow-cooked until the meat becomes tender enough to fall from the bone. This nalli biryani recipe is ideal for a special Indian dinner recipe and represents the rich flavours of traditional Indian biryani recipes.
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Ingredients
Adjust Servings
| 750–800 g lamb shanks, approximately | |
| 500g basmati rice | |
| Water, approximately 3 times the volume of rice | |
| 1tsp fennel seeds | |
| 1tsp cumin seeds | |
| 2 bay leaves | |
| 4 green cardamom pods | |
| 6–8 black peppercorns | |
| 1 small cinnamon stick | |
| Salt, as required |
Marinade
| 1tbsp ginger-garlic paste | |
| 1tbsp lemon juice | |
| 1tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder | |
| ¼ tsp turmeric powder | |
| 250–300 g thick plain yogurt | |
| 2tbsp biryani masala | |
| 5g fresh mint leaves, chopped | |
| 5 g fresh coriander leaves, chopped | |
| 150 g fried onions, divided | |
| 2tbsp clarified butter / ghee | |
| Salt, as required | |
| Extra chilli powder, optional | |
| A pinch of saffron | |
| 2–3 tbsp warm milk or water for soaking saffron |
Nutritional Information
–950 kcal
Calorie
45 g
Protein
–95 g
Carbohydrate
–42 g
Fat
5 g
Fiber
Directions
1.
Marinate the Lamb
Place the lamb shanks in a large bowl. Add ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, turmeric, Kashmiri red chilli powder and salt.
Massage the marinade thoroughly over the meat. For the best flavour in this lamb shank biryani, refrigerate overnight. If short on time, marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Mark as complete
2.
Prepare the Second Marinade
Add chopped mint, coriander and approximately three-quarters of the fried onions to the lamb.
Mix in the biryani masala and beaten yogurt. Add a little ghee and adjust the salt and chilli according to taste.
Coat the lamb completely with this mixture. This yogurt marinade gives the nalli biryani recipe its rich flavour and helps tenderise the meat during dum cooking.
Mark as complete
3.
Prepare the Basmati Rice
Wash the basmati rice until the water runs mostly clear. Soak for approximately 30 minutes, then drain.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil with fennel, cumin, bay leaves, cardamom, peppercorns and cinnamon.
Season the water generously with salt.
Mark as complete
4.
Partially Cook the Rice
Add the drained rice to the boiling water and stir gently so the grains do not break.
Remove the first portion when the rice is approximately 20% cooked.
Continue cooking and remove another portion when it reaches around 40% doneness, followed by the final portion at approximately 60% cooked.
The rice will finish cooking during the dum stage.
Mark as complete
5.
Begin Layering the Biryani
Place the marinated lamb shanks with their yogurt masala at the bottom of a heavy-bottomed pot.
Spread the 20% cooked rice over the lamb along with a small amount of the cooking water to help generate steam.
Scatter some fried onions, mint and coriander over the rice.
Add the next portion of partially cooked rice.
Sprinkle again with fried onions, mint, coriander and saffron water.
Finish with the final rice layer and drizzle over the remaining ghee and saffron mixture.
This layering technique is essential for an aromatic dum lamb biryani.
Mark as complete
6.
Seal the Pot
Cover the pot tightly with aluminium foil, pressing firmly around the edges so that very little steam can escape.
Use a second layer of foil if necessary.
Place the sealed pot over high heat briefly until you can feel steam building inside.
Transfer the sealed pot to a preheated oven at approximately 165–170°C.
Cook for around 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the lamb is completely tender.
The meat should easily pull away from the bone when the lamb shank biryani recipe is properly cooked.
Mark as complete
7.
Rest and Serve
Carefully remove the foil, allowing the steam to escape away from your face.
Gently fluff the rice without breaking the grains and check that the lamb is soft and tender.
Serve the lamb shank biryani hot with raita, salad or a simple gravy.
Mark as complete
Notes
*Nutrition info is a rough estimate based on the ingredients. Note that values may vary from case to case*
*As with all recipes, there is a number of ways you can get things done. If you believe that some of the instructions can be improved, or have a good alternative solution, feel free to leave a comment*
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