Lamb Biryani with Toasted Chick Peas

I typically have cooked cubed lamb in my freezer along with frozen Basmatti rice. This makes whipping up this dish fast and easy. You could substitute other meat for the lamb, or omit altogether and substitute cauliflower or roasted butternut squash for a nice hearty vegetarian meal.

The chick peas are a nice flavor accent to the rich spiced rice.

4 cups kale leaves, de-stemmed

3 cups cooked lamb (about 1 lb), cubed 1/2-inch

1 Tbsp ghee

1 yellow onion, sliced

1 Tbsp ghee

1 orange pepper, diced 1/2-inch

1 can chick peas, drained

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp fenugreek powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp ghee

2 cups cooked Basmatti Rice

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 Tbsp panchuran Indian spice mix (see cook’s note)

1 Tbsp ghee

crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

garnish:

masala crispy fried channa dal (an Indian snack)

fried onions

Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a medium pot and salt well. Add the kale and blanch for about 3-4 minutes, until the leaves darken and soften somewhat. Drain and return kale to pot and shock with very cold water. Drain well (you could use a salad spinner if you have one).

Meanwhile, sauté the lamb in a wide skillet with the ghee over medium heat. Cook until the lamb browns a bit, about 5-8 minutes. Set lamb aside in a bowl.

Add the onions and the ghee in the skillet and sauté over medium-high until they soften a bit, about 5 minutes. Stir often. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the yellow pepper. Continue cooking until the onions brown up a bit, about another 5 minutes.

While the veggies are cooking, toss together the chickpeas with the spice powders and salt in a medium bowl. Melt the ghee in a small skillet and tip in the chick peas. Sauté over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the chick peas crisp up a bit.

Now Toss together the rice, peas, kale and ghee in a wide non-stick skillet. Add the onions and peppers along with the lamb. Season with crushed red pepper flakes.

Toss gently with the chick peas. Heat through.

Serve in bowls, garnished with the dal and fried onions. Serve with yogurt, if desired. Serves 6-8.

Cook’s Note: The Panchuran I used is a mix of Nigella, Sativa, Cumin, fenugreek, and yellow mustard seeds. In the likely event that you do not have this on hand, consider 1 tsp fennel seeds and 1 tsp cumin seeds - or use half the amount of powder, but only after the water is added.

If you don’t have all the Indian spice powders on hand, just use 4 tsp favorite Indian curry powder for the chick peas.

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