Lamb Biryani

Name: Lamb Biryani
Prep time: 18 min
Cook time: 32 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 12 Cashew nuts; ½ tbsp Khus khus; ½ tbsp Cumin seeds; 3 sliced thinly Onions; 2 tsp Ginger garlic paste; 4 whole Garlic; Leaves Mint; Leaves Cilantro; ½ tsp dissolved in ½ cup warm milk Saffron; 2 tbsp Ghee; 2 Cups Basmati rice; ½ cup Full fat yogurt; 1 tbsp Cumin Seeds; ½ Bay leaf; 1 thin piece Cinnamon; 3 Cloves; 2 Cardamom; 1 lb Lamb; 1 tsp Red Chilli powder; 1 tbsp Biryani masala

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Lamb recipe with India flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 83 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 50 min total

12 Cashew Nuts
½ tbsp Khus Khus
½ tbsp Cumin Seeds
3 sliced thinly Onions
2 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
4 whole Garlic
Leaves Mint
Leaves Cilantro
½ tsp dissolved in ½ cup warm milk Saffron
2 tbsp Ghee
2 Cups Basmati Rice
½ cup Full Fat Yogurt
1 tbsp Cumin Seeds
½ Bay Leaf
1 thin piece Cinnamon
3 Cloves
2 Cardamom
1 lb Lamb
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tbsp Biryani Masala

Step-by-step instructions

Grind the cashew, poppy seeds and cumin seeds into a smooth paste, using as little water as possible. Set aside.
Deep fry the sliced onions when it is hot. Don’t overcrowd the oil. When the onions turn light brown, remove from oil and drain on paper towel. The fried onion will crisp up as it drains. Also fry the cashewnuts till golden brown. Set aside.
Wash the rice and soak in water for twenty minutes.
Meanwhile, take a big wide pan, add oil in medium heat, add the sliced onions, add the blended paste, to it add the green chillies, ginger garlic paste and garlic and fry for a minute.
Then add the tomatoes and sauté them well till they are cooked and not mushy.
Then to it add the red chilli powder, biryani powder, mint, coriander leaves and sauté them well.
Add the yogurt and mix well. I always move the skillet away from the heat when adding yogurt which prevents it from curdling.
Now after returning the skillet back to the stove, add the washed lamb and salt and ½ cup water and mix well. Cook for 1 hour and cook it covered in medium low heat or put it in a pressure cooker for 6 whistles. If the water is not drained totally, heat it by keeping it open.
Take another big pan, add thrice the cup of rice you use, and boil it. When it is boiling high, add the rice, salt and jeera and mix well. After 7 minutes exact or when the rice is 80% done. Switch off and drain the rice.
Now, the layering starts. To the lamb, pat and level it. Add the drained hot rice on the top of it. Garnish with fried onions, ghee, mint, coriander leaves and saffron dissolved in milk.
Cover the dish and bake in a 350f oven for 15 minutes or till the cooked but not mushy. Or cook in the stove medium heat for 12 minutes and lowest heat for 5 minutes. And switch off. Mix and serve hot! Notes 1. If you are cooking in oven, do make sure to cook in a big oven safe pan and cover it tight and then keep in oven for the final step.
You can skip biryani masala if you don’t have and add just garam masala (1 tsp and red chilli powder – 3 tsp instead of 1 tsp) 3. If it is spicy in the end, squeeze some lemon, it will reduce the heat and enhance the flavors also.

Why this works on a weeknight

Lamb Biryani lands at about 50 minutes total — a little longer than our 30-minute target, but most of that time is hands-off simmering, which is why it earned a spot in our Weeknight Curries collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Lamb Biryani actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🌶️ Weeknight Curries Lamb India Curry Meat