Sweet Talk Recipes

Dinner

Indian Lamb Biryani

Ingredients (6 servings)

150 ml fat free plain yoghurt (2/3 cup)

30 ml garlic and ginger paste (2 Tablespoons)

60 ml fresh coriander leaves (dhania), chopped (4 Tablespoons) or 30 ml (2 Tablespoons) dried coriander leaves

500 g extra lean lamb, fat removed and cubed

125 ml brown lentils, uncooked

(½ cup) or 300 ml cooked or tinned lentils (1 tin, drained)

3 x 1.25 ml salt (3 x ¼ teaspoons)

125 ml basmati rice (½ cup)

2.5 ml turmeric (arad) (½ teaspoons)

2 x 2.5 ml cumin seeds (jeera) (½ teaspoons) or 5 ml ground cumin (1 teaspoon)

2 whole cloves or 1.25 ml ground cloves (¼ teaspoon)

2 x 2 cardamom pods (elachi) or 2.5 ml ground cardamom (½ teaspoon)

15 ml oil, sunflower or canola (1 Tablespoon)

2 large onions, peeled and sliced, or chopped

2 sticks cinnamon or 5 ml ground cinnamon (1 teaspoon)

4 whole cloves or 2.5 ml ground cloves (½ teaspoon)

2 tomatoes, finely chopped

How to make it

In a large bowl, mix the yoghurt, garlic and ginger paste, and coriander leaves.
Add to the lamb and mix well. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Meanwhile, cook the lentils in 375 ml (1 ½ cup) of water, and the first 1.25 ml (¼ teaspoon) of salt until soft but still firm (about 45 minutes).
In another saucepan, cook the rice in 375 ml (1 ½ cup) of water with the second (¼ teaspoon) of salt, turmeric, cumin, cloves and cardamom pods until done (about 30 minutes).
When cooked, mix the rice and lentils together and set aside.
Heat the oil in a heavy pan and fry the onion and the cinnamon sticks, cloves, cumin and cardamom until golden brown. Stir continuously, particularly if using ground spices.
Add the marinated lamb and mix well. Add the chopped tomato and salt, and cook covered for another 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C while the breyani meat mixture is cooking.
Place alternate layers of the rice and lentil mixture and the lamb in a deep casserole dish, starting and ending with rice and lentils. Cover and bake for 20 minutes.
Serve with assorted sambals and salads or sliced banana in lemon juice, chopped tomato and onion and chutney, if desired.

Garlic and ginger paste is readily available at most supermarkets in the fresh vegetable

section. Cook a double amount of rice and lentils and freeze half for the next time you want to prepare this dish.

Traditionally this dish is made with whole spices, but using the ground spices makes a dish that is just as delicious.

Variation:

Serve the lamb breyani on the rice and lentil mixture without baking it. If you choose to do

this, the cooking time is shortened, but you need to cook the meat uncovered for the last

15 minutes, unless you want a thin gravy.

Source: From the Accu-Chek Active Cook Book. Recipe and picture taken from the low GI, low fat recipe book by registered dieticians Gabi Steenkamp and Liesbet Delport, Eating for Sustained Energy 4 (Tafelberg).