Using the same oil, add the bay leaf, ginger, garlic, onion and tomatoes. Sauté until they’re slightly dry and fragrant. Add your Rajah Biryani Masala, cayenne pepper and nutmeg powder. Stir to mix and add a little water if it’s too dry. In a heavy pot, add the ghee and butter. Once hot, add the sultanas and the cashews. Fry until brown and set aside. Return half the rice to the saucepan, spread half the cooked meat and curry over the rice, and then repeat. Next, prepare the dough for the pastry lid. Mix the flour and water together to form a rough dough. Knead the dough out on a floured surface until it is smooth and pliable. Gather the dough into a ball and leave aside until required at the end. In another large pot, bring 3 litres of water to the boil and add your soaked rice. Drain the water once the rice is 60% cooked.

Basmati rice –Use long-grain-aged basmati rice to make biryani. Aged basmati rice does not become soggy easily when dum cooked. They can hold their shape. Basmati rice has its own flavors& when cooked its long grains look beautiful in the dish. You can substitute it with any aged rice. Kashmiri red chili powder– It is optional to use Kashmiri red chili powder. It gives a bright red color to the gravy and is less spicy. However, you can use any red chili powder that you have in your kitchen pantry. Meanwhile, heat the milk to 60°C. Sprinkle in your saffron and 2 tbsp almond meal. Stir to combine and set aside. When ready to consume, take it out in a microwave-safe bowl/plate. Sprinkle some water over it & reheat it in the microwave.In a large saucepan heat ghee and then fry the onions until golden. If using optional whole spices add and fry for 1 minute.

Making saffron milk (optional)– Soak a pinch of saffron in ¼ cup of warm milk & set it aside for 15 minutes. Add tomato paste & leftover marinade. Cook it until tomato paste starts to leave oil from the sides. (image 13 & 14) Saffron milk (optional)– soak a pinch of saffron soaked in ¼ cup of warm milk. You can substitute it with ¼ cup of plain milk or ¼ cup water in its place. Store biryani in small portions & take out the quantity that you are ready to consume. Reheat only that portion. Once the spices have sizzled, add in the marinated lamb and fry on medium heat to seal the meat all over. When all the pieces of lamb have browned reduce the flame to a low heat, pour in 1L of boiling water, cover with a lid and allow the lamb to cook for 1.5 -2 hours or until the lamb is soft and tender. Stir the lamb occasionally. To speed up the process, you can also cook the lamb in a pressure cooker.Add the turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, salt & biryani masala powder. Cook for 2-3 minutes. (image 15 & 16) Using a long-handled wooden spoon, push the handle into the middle of the rice and pour in half of the saffron milk. Add the rest of the milk to the edges of the pot. Spread another tbsp ghee over the top and drizzle over your food colouring. Lemon juice –It adds a tangy flavor to the tikka masala. If the curd that you are using is sour then skip adding lemon juice to the biryani. Turn off the heat and leave the chana masala to cool slightly, then roughly chop the remaining coriander leaves, scatter on top and serve. To prepare the Biriyani, the most important stage is to marinate the lamb. In a mixing bowl, combine the natural yoghurt, vegetable oil, lemon juice, salt, red chilli, turmeric, cumin, coriander and Biriyani masala powders. Add the diced lamb to the marinade and coat well. For best results, allow the lamb to marinate overnight, if you do not have time allow at least an hour for the lamb to marinate.