Scrumptious Lamb Briyani : Instant Pot
Ingredients
10 thick cut lamb loin trimmed of fat (mixed with the buttermilk-allow to marinate for 30 minutes, you can add the ginger/garlic, tomato paste and curry powders and some salt at this stage to the lamb to marinate)
1/2 cup buttermilk
5 medium peeled potatoes, keep whole (the Maris Piper and King Edward varieties are brilliant for briyani)
1 large onion, chopped
1.5 cups normal rice, washed
1/2 cup brown lentils, cleaned and washed
3/4 cup chopped mint
3/4 cup chopped coriander
3/4 cup chopped thyme
2 Tbsp Curry leaves
3 high tbsp crushed garlic and ginger mix
1-2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 Tbsp crushed briyani mix spice (obtain from an Indian store or 2-3 dried bay leaves, 4-5 small green cardamon pods, 2 star aniseed, 4 whole cloves, 2-3 (5 centimetre length) cinnamon sticks, 1.5 tablespoons fennel seeds - you can grind this or take your chances and put them in whole, beware the crunch though)
2 Tbsp Tumeric powder
2 Tbsp Kashmiri Curry powder
2 Tbsp Dhania(coriander) and Jeera(cumin) mix powder
1 Tbsp Soomph powder(fennel)
2 Tbsp tomoto paste
4 Tbsp Canola oil and 50 grams butter
Boiling water and salt to taste
Method
Put Instant Pot on 'Sauté ' mode and heat oil and butter in the IP.
Add briyani spice mix and onions, curry leaves and ginger & garlic and saute until cooked.
Add finely chopped Coriander, Thyme and Mint and braise on sauté mode.
Add Curry powder, turmeric powder, Fennel powder, Cumin & Coriander powder and mix in. Braise the Curry powders with 4 tablespoons boiling water. Add the tomato paste. (Skip this step if you marinated your lamb with the curry powders beforehand and just add the marinated lamb pieces into the onion mixture and stir through).
Switch the cooker off the 'Sauté' mode. Then layer the lamb lion chop pieces over the curry paste mixture.
Place the whole potatoes over the lamb (or you can roast your potatoes in deep Canola oil)
Put in normal rice and brown lentils. Add salt to taste (1tsp-2) and top up with water if necessary.
Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker should be 3/4 full.
Place on High Pressure for 40 minutes.
At the end of the cycle, release the pressure immediately. Decant into a ceramic dish garnish with caramelised chopped onions and a sprinkle of coriander leaves and voila! Lamb briyani!
Serve with salad (optional) and/or yellow dhal (optional). Enjoy!