Lamb Biryani

1.25 kg/21/2 lb shoulder of lamb, trimmed of fat
50 g/2 oz polyunsaturated margarine
4 whole cardamom pods
2 cloves
1 small cinnamon stick
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
15 g/1/2 oz fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
20 cashew nuts, toasted
20 almonds, toasted
1 tablespoon sultanas
salt
freshly ground black pepper
225 g/8 oz basmati rice
450 ml/3/4 pint water
1 teaspoon saffron threads, or 2 drops yellow
food colouring
2 tablespoons warm skimmed milk
Garnish:
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced

Take the lamb off the bone and cut into bite-sized pieces. Reserve the bones. Heat the margarine in a pan. Fry the lamb to brown on all sides. Remove from the pan and put to one side. Fry the cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon stick in the same pan for 2 minutes, being careful not to burn them. Add the garlic, ginger and onion and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Stir in half the quantity of nuts and all of the sultanas. Return the meat to the pan. Season very well with salt and black pepper.

Lay a piece of wet greaseproof paper in the base of a steamer compartment, and arrange the meat mixture on top. Wash the rice and put in a saucepan with the lamb bones and the water. Bring to the boil, cover the steamer and steam the meat over the rice for 12 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the saffron or food colouring with the milk.

Remove the bones from the rice. Season very well with salt and pepper. Place the rice on top of the meat, piling it up in the shape of a hill. Make a deep hole in the centre with the long handle of a wooden spoon. Dribble the saffron milk over the sides of the hill. Cover again and steam over boiling water for 1 hour. Check the liquid level frequently and add more boiling water if necessary.

To serve, transfer the rice mixture to a warmed serving dish, remove the cinnamon stick and mix gently. Garnish with sliced egg and tomatoes, and the remaining cashew nuts and almonds.

SERVES 4