Lamb Byriani

This layered rice casserole from India usually includes some kind of protein—here, we’ve used lamb, reminiscent of what would be used in the Kashmir region. Serve it with chopped unsalted cashews, minced red onion, chopped cilantro leaves, chopped mint leaves, and bottled hot red pepper sauce as condiments.

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced

11⁄2 pounds trimmed boneless leg of lamb, cut into 1-inch pieces

4 teaspoons mild curry powder

6 garlic cloves, slivered

41⁄2 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus additional for greasing the baking dish

2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger

2 cups basmati rice (see Note)

11⁄2 teaspoons salt

1⁄4 teaspoon saffron threads

1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves

1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

One 4-inch cinnamon stick

1⁄2 cup chopped dried apricots

2 cups plain yogurt

• Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Swirl in the canola oil, then add the onion and carrots. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes.
• Add the lamb; cook, stirring often, until browned, about 8 minutes.
• Add the curry powder and half the garlic; cook, stirring often, until aromatic. Stir in 1 cup broth and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits in the pan.
• Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer slowly for 30 minutes.
• In the meantime, position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly butter a 13 x 9-inch baking dish and set aside.
• While the lamb continues to cook, melt the butter in a second large saucepan over medium heat. Add the remainder of the garlic and the ginger; cook, stirring all the while, until slightly softened and very aromatic, about 1 minute.
• Add the rice, salt, saffron, cloves, cayenne, and cinnamon stick; stir well to coat the rice in the fat and pour in the remaining 31⁄2 cups broth. Bring to a simmer.
• Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the rice is fairly tender but still with a little tooth to the bite, until almost all the liquid has been absorbed, about 14 minutes. Set aside off the heat.
• After the lamb has cooked for 30 minutes, remove it from the broth with a slotted spoon, place in a medium bowl, and stir in the apricots and yogurt. (Reserve the broth in the pan.)
• Remove the cinnamon stick from the rice. Spread half the rice evenly across the bottom of the baking dish. Top with the lamb mixture, spreading it to the sides; then spoon and spread the remainder of the rice over the top of the dish. Pour the cooking broth evenly over the dish.
• Cover with aluminum foil and bake until the rice and lamb are tender, about 45 minutes. Set aside at room temperature for 10 minutes, covered, before serving.
• Note: In Hindi, “basmati” mean aromatic. It’s a long-grain rice from India now grown extensively in the U.S.

Makes 8 servings