Recipe: a home cook-friendly lamb biryani from Ambassadors Clubhouse

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

Readers often tell me that January is the time of the year they turn to cooking from the Indian subcontinent because of the welcome hit of heat, plus for many it’s a break from the types of meals that dominated December. This spiced lamb biryani comes from the menu at Mayfair’s Ambassadors Clubhouse, which is one of the most maximalist, showy restaurants I’ve eaten at over the past few years. Only a handful of its (excellent) recipes could be considered home-cook friendly, and among them, the stand-out is this lamb biryani with Punjabi spices. Don’t mistake the long ingredients list for laborious cooking — most goes straight into the marinade.

Ambassadors Clubhouse’s Lamb Biryani

To serve four

1. Mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl. Add the lamb and coat thoroughly. Refrigerate for at least two hours, overnight for best flavour.

2. Heat the ghee in a heavy casserole or Dutch oven. Add two of the cardamom pods, one cinnamon stick, the bay leaves and all the cloves and fry for one or two minutes until fragrant.

3. Add the marinated lamb, removing any excess marinade and cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned and the marinade has thickened. Add 150ml of water, cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes, until the meat is tender and coated in a rich masala.

4. Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil with the remaining whole spices, then add the rice and cook for 10—12 minutes until about 70 per cent done (the grains should still have a firm bite). Drain and, if possible, spread on a tray to steam-dry.

5. Heat some ghee or neutral oil in a small frying pan. Fry the carrot sticks and raisins until lightly golden, then drain on kitchen paper.

6. Spoon half the lamb masala into the base of a heavy pot. Top with half the rice, drizzle with half the saffron milk, mint and coriander. Repeat with the remaining lamb and rice, then the saffron and herbs, finishing with a drizzle of melted ghee. Top with the fried carrots and raisins.

7. Cover tightly with foil and a lid. Cook over a very low flame for 20 minutes (or in a 160C oven for the same time). Rest for 10 minutes before opening.

8. To serve, garnish with fried onions and almond slivers. Serve with a cooling cucumber raita salad — although biryani is a meal in itself.

Find out about our latest stories first — follow FT Weekend Magazine on X and FT Weekend on Instagram