Lamb Rump Biryani

Ingredients

• 1 pack Silver Fern Farms Lamb Rumps
• 2 cups basmati rice
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cloves
• 5 cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 575g butternut squash, peeled and diced
• 1 cup Greek yoghurt
• 1 Tbsp ginger, peeled and crushed
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 green chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped
• 1 Tbsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp garam masala
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• ⅔ cup milk
• ½ tsp saffron threads
• ½ cup fried shallots
• ¼ cup roasted almonds, sliced
• ¼ cup raisins
• ½ cup fresh coriander

Method

Soak rice in a bowl of water for 30 mins. Drain rice and put it in a large pot filled with water. Add salt, bay leaves, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon stick, and boil for 4-5 mins (at this stage, the rice will not be fully cooked). Set it aside.

Place butternut squash in a pot, cover it with salted water and cook for 8 mins. The butternut squash should still feel firm. Save ½ cup of cooking water and then drain and set aside.

To prepare the curry sauce, place yoghurt in a small bowl. Combine ginger, garlic and green chilli in a food processor, stir into yoghurt. Place spices in a small pan and toast them over medium heat for 1-2 mins or until fragrant. Add to spicy yoghurt mixture and cooking water and stir until incorporated.

Remove Silver Fern Farms Lamb Rumps from the fridge and packaging and allow to bloom at room temperature for 10 mins. Season with salt and pepper and brush with oil.

Bring a pan to med-high heat, fry lamb for 2-3 mins each side. Remove from heat, cover loosely, and rest for 10 mins then slice across the grain.

Meanwhile, heat milk in a small saucepan until it simmers; add saffron and set aside to steep for 15 mins.

Preheat oven to 190°C.

To assemble biryani, mix butternut squash, lamb and yoghurt curry sauce in a bowl. Place it in an even layer on the bottom of an oven dish. Top with rice and pour saffron milk over the top in a circular motion. Cover the top with 2 layers of tin foil and bake biryani in the oven for 20 mins.

Uncover the biryani dish and scatter fried shallots over the top. Add almonds, raisins and fresh coriander, serve immediately.