Serves 4
Side

Ingredients

Sindhi Biryani
  • yogurt,1/2,cups,,
  • ginger,1,tablespoon,minced,
  • garlic,2,tablespoons,divided,
  • ghee,2,tablespoons,or vegetable oil,vrindavan-pure-cow-ghee
  • Kashmiri chili powder,1,teaspoon,,ground-kashmiri-chiles
  • ground turmeric,1,teaspoon,,burlap-barrel-turmeric
  • Kosher salt,3,teaspoons,divided,mortons-kosher-salt
  • freshly ground black pepper,2,teaspoons,divided,tellicherry-peppercorns
  • trimmed boneless lamb shoulder,1,pound,cut into 1-inch pieces,
  • vegetable oil,2,tablespoons,,
  • onions,2,,thinly sliced and divided,
  • ground cloves,1,teaspoon,,ground-cloves
  • green cardamom pods,8,,cracked,green-cardamom-pods
  • cumin seeds,1,teaspoon,,whole-cumin-seeds
  • 2-inch cinnamon stick,1,,,ceylon-cinnamon-sticks
  • bay leaf,1,,,turkish-bay-leaves
  • water,2,cups,,
  • dates or prunes,10,,chopped,medjool-dates
  • serrano chiles,2,,finely chopped,
  • medium yellow-fleshed potatoes,2,,cut into chunks,
  • brown basmati rice,1 1/2,cups,rinsed,sri-lankan-red-basmati-rice
  • saffron,1,teaspoon,,burlap-barrel-herati-saffron
  • chopped fresh mint,1,tablespoon,,
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Instant Pot Lamb and Date Biryani

The Sindhi people originally came from northwest India, which became part of Pakistan in the 1947 partition. Many of them moved south in order to stay in India, where they continue to celebrate their culture through dishes like this biryani. Since many Sindhis are also Muslims, lamb is used in this dish, while saffron, dates, and almonds highlight the Persian influence of the Mughal Empire. This dish is rich and full of flavor; it’s really nice for a special-occasion dinner. — from The Complete Indian Instant Pot® Cookbook by Chandra Ram. Buy this book from Robert Rose, Indiebound, or Amazon.

Reprinted with permission from The Complete Indian Instant Pot Cookbook by Chandra Ram, 2018. Published by Robert Rose. Photographs copyright © 2018 Galdones Photography

Written By Chandra Ram | Dec 03, 2018

Ingredients

Sindhi Biryani
  • yogurt,1/2,cups,,
  • ginger,1,tablespoon,minced,
  • garlic,2,tablespoons,divided,
  • ghee,2,tablespoons,or vegetable oil,vrindavan-pure-cow-ghee
  • Kashmiri chili powder,1,teaspoon,,ground-kashmiri-chiles
  • ground turmeric,1,teaspoon,,burlap-barrel-turmeric
  • Kosher salt,3,teaspoons,divided,mortons-kosher-salt
  • freshly ground black pepper,2,teaspoons,divided,tellicherry-peppercorns
  • trimmed boneless lamb shoulder,1,pound,cut into 1-inch pieces,
  • vegetable oil,2,tablespoons,,
  • onions,2,,thinly sliced and divided,
  • ground cloves,1,teaspoon,,ground-cloves
  • green cardamom pods,8,,cracked,green-cardamom-pods
  • cumin seeds,1,teaspoon,,whole-cumin-seeds
  • 2-inch cinnamon stick,1,,,ceylon-cinnamon-sticks
  • bay leaf,1,,,turkish-bay-leaves
  • water,2,cups,,
  • dates or prunes,10,,chopped,medjool-dates
  • serrano chiles,2,,finely chopped,
  • medium yellow-fleshed potatoes,2,,cut into chunks,
  • brown basmati rice,1 1/2,cups,rinsed,sri-lankan-red-basmati-rice
  • saffron,1,teaspoon,,burlap-barrel-herati-saffron
  • chopped fresh mint,1,tablespoon,,
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Step one

Whisk together the yogurt, ginger, 1 tablespoon (15 mL) garlic, ghee, chili powder, turmeric, 2 teaspoons (10 mL) salt and 1 teaspoon (5 mL) pepper in a large bowl. Add the lamb and stir to coat it evenly. Cover and transfer to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 12 hours.

Step two

Using the Sauté function on High, heat the oil in the inner pot for about 1 minute, until shimmering. Add half the onions; cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until evenly browned. Transfer to a small bowl.

Step three

Place the remaining onion, cloves, cardamom pods, remaining 1 teaspoon (5 mL) pepper, cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, bay leaf and remaining 1 tablespoon (15 mL) garlic in the inner pot; stir to combine and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon (5 mL) salt and water, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the dates, chiles, potatoes, lamb and yogurt marinade, rice and saffron; stir to combine.

Step four

Secure the lid and cook on high pressure for 23 minutes.

Step five

Once the cooking is complete, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then quick-release the remaining pressure.

Step six

Remove the lid and stir. Transfer to a serving platter and top with reserved browned onions and mint; serve.