Halal-conscious recipe
Lamb biryani with paneer and spinach
Tom Kerridge's lamb biryani: Halal lamb neck marinated in garlic and ginger, browned with onion, cumin, nigella and Madras paste, then baked with basmati, curry leaves, Halal or vegetable stock, paneer and spinach.
Each method follows published technique for the dish, and every Halal substitution is checked against the ingredient pages we cite. Photographs come from our ingredient library rather than the finished dish.
Why Halal checks matter here
The biryani is made with 400 g of lamb neck, which is Halal only from a Halal-slaughtered animal, and 400 ml of lamb or chicken stock, which is a meat product; the paneer and yogurt each need a label check.
This one-pot biryani starts with cubes of lamb neck marinated in garlic and ginger, browned with onion, cumin and nigella seeds and a spoonful of Madras paste. Rinsed basmati, curry leaves and stock go in, then paneer and spinach, and the pot is sealed and baked. The source calls it a classic Indian dish. The lamb needs to be Halal, the stock Halal-certified or vegetable (see stock cubes), the paneer made without rennet and the yogurt free of gelatin.
It follows Tom Kerridge's lamb biryani for BBC Good Food, which serves six. The lamb needs at least a couple of hours in the marinade, so start ahead.
Rest the biryani, covered, for 10 minutes before serving with coriander, green chillies and yogurt.
Halal-critical ingredients
- Lamb neck Lamb is Halal only from a Halal-slaughtered animal, and lamb without a Halal mark doesn't say how the animal was slaughtered. Buy the lamb from a Halal butcher or in a certified pack. See Lamb.
- Stock Bought lamb or chicken stock is a meat product, and the UK's mainstream stock cubes contain uncertified meat or fat. Use a Halal-certified stock or a vegan vegetable stock. See Stock cubes.
- Paneer Paneer is usually milk curdled with lemon juice, vinegar or citric acid rather than rennet. Check the pack for rennet. See Paneer.
- Plain yogurt Plain yogurt is milk fermented with cultures, but gelatin turns up in set, low-fat and dessert yogurts. Choose a yogurt with no gelatin on the label. See Yogurt.
Safe substitutes
- Lamb of unknown slaughter → Halal lamb neck
- 400 ml lamb or chicken stock → 400 ml Halal-certified stock or vegetable stock
Allergens
milk (paneer, yogurt)
Ingredients
Lamb
- 400 g Halal lamb neck, in small cubes
- 4 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 tbsp ginger, finely grated
Biryani
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp nigella seeds
- 1 tbsp Madras spice paste
- 200 g basmati rice, rinsed well
- 8 curry leaves
- 400 ml Halal-certified lamb or chicken stock, or vegetable stock
- 100 g paneer, chopped (no animal rennet)
- 200 g spinach, cooked and squeezed dry
To serve
- to serve chopped coriander
- to serve sliced green chillies
- to serve plain yogurt (no gelatine)
Method
- Marinate the lamb. Toss the lamb with the garlic, ginger and a large pinch of salt. Marinate in the fridge for at least a couple of hours, or overnight.
- Brown and spice. Heat the oil in a casserole and fry the lamb for 5 to 10 minutes until it starts to brown. Add the onion, cumin and nigella seeds and cook for 5 minutes until starting to soften, then stir in the curry paste for 1 minute more.
- Add the rice. Scatter in the rice and curry leaves, pour over the stock and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, gas 4).
- Bake, rest and serve. Stir in the paneer, spinach and some seasoning. Cover tightly with foil and then the lid, and bake for 20 minutes. Leave to stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover at the table, scatter with coriander and green chillies and serve with yogurt.
How this recipe was researched
Method adapted from BBC Good Food's 'Lamb biryani' by Tom Kerridge, which calls it a classic Indian dish (serves 6: 400 g lamb neck in small cubes tossed with 4 grated garlic cloves, 1 tbsp grated ginger and a large pinch of salt and marinated in the fridge at least a couple of hours or overnight; browned 5 to 10 minutes in 1 tbsp sunflower oil in a casserole; a large chopped onion, 1 tbsp each cumin and nigella seeds 5 minutes; 1 tbsp Madras spice paste 1 minute; 200 g well-rinsed basmati and 8 curry leaves, then 400 ml good lamb or chicken stock brought to the boil; oven at 180°C (160°C fan, gas 4); 100 g chopped paneer, 200 g cooked and squeezed spinach and seasoning stirred in; sealed with foil and a lid, baked 20 minutes and rested covered 10 minutes; served with chopped coriander, sliced green chillies and plain yogurt). We specified Halal lamb and a Halal-certified stock or a vegetable stock, and flagged the paneer and yogurt labels; nothing else needed changing. Timings follow the published technique rather than a kitchen test.
Technique and ingredient sources
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Lamb biryani — BBC Good Food
Retrieved:
By Tom Kerridge, described as a classic Indian dish. Serves 6, prep 10 minutes plus marinating, cook 50 minutes: garlic-ginger lamb browned with onion, cumin, nigella and Madras paste, then basmati, curry leaves and stock, paneer and spinach, baked sealed 20 minutes and rested 10. We specified Halal lamb and stock.
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Biryani analysis — isithalal.food
Retrieved:
What to check in a biryani.