Sindhi biryani

Ingredients

• vegetable oil 
• 3medium onions, finely sliced 
• 1 kgboneless goat meat, cut into large cubes 
• 3 tbspgrated ginger 
• 1 tbspcrushed garlic 
• 100 gnatural yoghurt 
• 1 tbspchilli powder 
• 2 tspturmeric 
• 2 tspsweet paprika 
• 1 tbspground coriander 
• 2heaped tsp ground cumin 
• 2 tspcumin seeds 
• 10cloves 
• 4cinnamon sticks 
• 14green cardamom pods 
• 3brown cardamom pods 
• 5bay leaves 
• 10dried plums 
• 1 tbspsalt 
• 8peppercorns, ground 
• 4long green chillies, 3 left whole, 1 finely sliced 
• 3medium potatoes 
• 500 gbasmati rice rice, soaked for 30 minutes 
• 1 tbspsaffron threads, soaked briefly in milk 
• 3medium tomatoes, cut into thin wedges 
• 1 bunchcoriander, chopped 
• 1 bunchmint, chopped 
• onion rings, fried until dark brown and caramelised
• 25 gsultanas
• 25 gslivered almonds
• 25 gwalnuts
• 25 gcashew nuts

Instructions

Heat a little vegetable oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion until golden brown. Add the goat and fry for a few minutes. Stir in the ginger and garlic, then add the yoghurt, ground spices, whole spices (reserve 8 green cardamom pods for the rice), bay leaves, dried plums, salt and pepper. Add the whole chillies and 250 ml water. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil the potatoes whole until tender, then drain and cut in half. Keep warm. Drain the rice and boil with the reserved cardamom. When cooked, drain and put half into a bowl. Add the saffron milk and stir until the rice is evenly yellow. Keep the plain and saffron rice warm.

Combine the tomato, coriander, mint and sliced green chilli. Add one-third of the tomato mixture to the goat curry. Cover and cook for a further 5–10 minutes.

Spoon half of the plain rice onto a large serving platter. Top with the goat curry. Spoon over half of the saffron rice and scatter with half of the remaining tomato mixture. Scatter with the boiled potatoes, then add final layers of plain rice and saffron rice. Scatter with the fried onion. Top with the remaining tomato mixture then sprinkle over the sultanas and nuts. Serve immediately.