Serves: 4
Total Calories: 985

1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
1/2 cup milk (any kind)
1 1/2 tablespoons Basic Ginger-Garlic Paste (or store-bought)
4 cups Simple Cumin Basmati Rice (1 recipe)
2 tablespoons melted ghee or peanut oil
2 pounds rib lamb chops, with bone, all visible fat trimmed
1 to 3 fresh green chili pepper, such as serrano, minced with seeds
1 teaspoon Garam Masala
1/8 teaspoon ground asafoetida
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 cup nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground black cardamom seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
1 teaspoon rosewater or 2 drops rose essence
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint

1. Soak the saffron in the milk at least 30 minutes or longer. Meanwhile, prepare the ginger-garlic paste and the rice.

2. Heat the ghee (or oil) in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and add the lamb chops, ginger-garlic paste, green chili peppers, garam masala, asafoetida, and salt and cook, turning once or twice, until the chops are golden, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.

3. Add the yogurt, a little at a time, stirring constantly to prevent it from curdling, until all the yogurt is absorbed, about 7 minutes. Then add the cumin, cardamom seeds, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace and continue to cook over medium heat the first 2 to 3 minutes, then over medium heat until the lamb is very tender, about 30 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. To make the biryani, spread half the rice in a large ovenproof covered dish, spread the lamb chops and all the sauce evenly. over the rice, then cover the chops well with the remaining half of the rice.

5. Mix the rosewater into the saffron milk and drizzle over the rice. Cover well with aluminum foil and then with the lid of the dish. Bake the rice about 1 hour. Remove from the oven, fluff the top of the rice lightly with a fork, sprinkle the mint leaves on top, and serve.

VARIATION: This biryani can also be made in the pan in which the Iamb is cooked. Remove the cooked Iamb from the pan, put half the rice on the bottom, cover with the cooked Iamb, then with the rest of the rice. Drizzle the saffron milk and rosewater over the rice, cover the pan well with aluminum foil, and cook over low heat 45 to 50 minutes. Stir, garnish, and serve.

From "1,000 Indian Recipes." Copyright 2002 by Neelam Batra. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 4
Total Calories: 985
Calories from Fat: 469

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