A proper biryani takes forever to make, this is a nice no fuss version when you don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen and still want to make something that will hit the spot! It tastes great served with yogurt and a salad.
If you like your biryani more meaty by all means lessen the amount of rice here from 2 cups to 1 or 1.5 cups and then just double the amount of rice to calculate the amount of water you need. If you have some nice stock in the fridge by all means use that to make the flavor even nicer. Lamb or chicken stock would work well.
Minced Lamb Biryani
1 stick cinnamon
1 black cardamom pod, cracked open
5 green cardamoms, cracked open
3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds, use shah jeera if you have it
2 bay leaves
4 cloves
1.5 tablespoons oil
1 onion, sliced
450 grams of mince lamb or beef or chicken
salt
1 green capsicum, cut into squares or slices
3 sliced green chillies
3 tablespoons of sindhi biryani masala spice mix (if you don’t have this just use some coriander and cumin powders, turmeric, nutmeg, mace)
handful of chopped mint
handful of chopped coriander
handful of dill leaves if you have them
2 cups basmati rice
juice of one lemon
4 cups water
1/4 cup golden raisins
Heat the oil and add the cinnamon, black cardamom, green cardamoms, cumin seeds, bay leaves, cloves. Let them sizzle for a few seconds and then add the onions. Cook till onions go a bit soft, and add the ginger and garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes, and then add in your minced lamb and a bit of salt. Keep stirring and break up the mince, cook it till the meat has browned. Add the sindhi biryani masala andthe  fresh chopped green chilli, stir and cook for a couple of minutes.
Add the washed rice, along with the mint and coriander and dill leaves, stir around and cook for a couple of minutes. Now add the water and juice of one lemon. Add a handful of  golden raisins. Stir and bring to a boil. Now cover your pot and bring the heat right down, so the rice cooks slowly.
Once the water has dried up and your rice is cooked fluff up your rice with a fork and serve.
Patrick thinks this is ideal fare for him at the moment so I had better get cooking!
Oh good! Hope he likes it! I would even throw in some baby potatoes cut in half, they go well with this! Let me know how it turns out!