Braised Lamb with Apples, Raisins, Mint, Basmati Rice, and Raita

This dish comes out like a less-fussy version of lamb biryani, with the addition of sweetness from fresh and dried fruits like apples and raisins. Mint & cilantro add welcome freshness to cut the richness of the lamb. The spice of the hot Kashmiri chili powder is counteracted by the cooling nature of the cucumber raita yogurt sauce. A rich and delicious onion basmati rice is served on the side to accompany the braised lamb.

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Braised Lamb with Apples, Raisins, Mint, Basmati Rice, and Raita

This dish comes out like a less-fussy version of lamb biryani, with the addition of sweetness from fresh and dried fruits like apples and raisins. Mint & cilantro add welcome freshness to cut the richness of the lamb. The spice of the hot Kashmiri chili powder is counteracted by the cooling nature of the cucumber raita yogurt sauce. A rich and delicious onion basmati rice is served on the side to accompany the braised lamb.

Ingredients

For the Braised Lamb:

• 3 Tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
• 1 star anise pod
• 6 green cardamom pods
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tsp red Kashmiri chili powder
• 2 tsp ground garam masala spice blend
• ¼ tsp freshly-ground black pepper
• 1 large red onion, small dice
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled & finely minced
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled & finely minced
• 32oz de-boned lamb leg meat, cut into large 1.5” chunks
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 2 medium carrots, peeled & cut into large chunks
• 1 Tbsp corn starch
• 2 Honeycrisp apples, cut into bite-sized chunks
• ¾ cup dried raisins
• ¼ cup fresh mint, finely sliced
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely sliced

For the Onion Basmati Rice:

• 1.5 cups Basmati rice
• 2 cups + 2 Tbsp water
• 2 Tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
• ½ small red onion, very small dice
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp salted butter, softened

For the Cucumber Raita Yogurt Sauce:

• 1 cucumber, peeled, cut small dice, salted, and drained
• 1.5 cups full-fat Greek yogurt
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of 1 lemon
• ½ tsp whole cumin seeds, toasted

Instructions 

For the Braised Lamb:

• Combine all your whole spices together ahead of time in a small bowl so you can add them to your pan quickly at the same time.
• Combine all your dried spices together ahead of time in a small bowl so you can add them to your pan soon after you have added your whole spices.
• Prepare your large 1.5” cubes of lamb meat in advance of starting cooking so you can add them at the right time right after your onions, ginger, and garlic have been added.
• When you have prepared all your ingredients for the braised lamb component of this recipe and are ready to start cooking, get a large Dutch oven or braising pot hot on the stove and add your ghee or vegetable oil.
• Add the whole spices, and cook for 20 seconds.
• Add the ground spices, and cook for an additional 20 seconds, stirring the spices into the ghee or vegetable oil.
• Add the diced red onion, the minced garlic, and the minced ginger and cook for an additional 1 minute.
• Reduce the heat and salt your chunks of lamb.
• Add the salted lamb chunks and chicken stock and carrots to your braising pot.
• Increase heat and bring to a gentle simmer.
• Reduce heat to low, add a lid, and cook at a temperature where the liquid is just below a simmer for 2-2.5 hours, until the lamb chunks are fork-tender.
• If the pieces of lamb are not tender, continue cooking until they are.
• When your lamb is cooked, to thicken your mixture, bring the braising liquid back up to a simmer.
• Mix the 1 Tbsp corn starch with 1 Tbsp water and stir with a fork until your corn starch slurry has the texture of heavy cream. This corn starch slurry will be used to thicken your simmering braising liquid.
• Whisk the corn starch slurry into your simmering braising liquid until combined and evenly distributed.
• Note how the braising liquid thickens slightly.
• If you prefer the sauce to be even thicker, add another 1 Tbsp corn starch slurry to the braising liquid until your desired thickness is achieved.
• Stir in the chunks of fresh apple and the dried raisins and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
• Top each plate with the fresh mint & cilantro when you are serving the lamb up with the onion basmati rice and raita yogurt sauce.

For the Onion Basmati Rice:

• Rinse the rice in water, draining the water out repeatedly until the rice runs clear.
• This rinsing process should take roughly 5-7 minutes.
• Drain the water from the rice and set the rice aside.
• In a rice cooking pot, add 2 Tbsp ghee or vegetable oil and the white onion and cook on medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes, or until the onions are translucent but not browned.
• Add the ½ tsp kosher salt and the water and the rinsed rice and bring to a simmer.
• Reduce heat to low.
• Cover with a layer of aluminum foil and a lid and allow to steam on very low heat for 15 minutes.
• Once the rice has cooked for 15 minutes, remove lid and aluminum foil and add the 2 Tbsp of softened butter.
• Gently fluff the rice with a fork to give the individuals rice grains room to breathe, and then add the aluminum foil and lid back to cover for an additional 5 minutes, off the heat.
• Serve rice when the other components of the dish ready.

For the Cucumber Raita Yogurt Sauce:

• Dice your cucumber and salt it. Allow to drain for 20 minutes.
• Squeeze the remaining liquid from the diced cucumber using your hands, removing as much liquid as possible.
• Combine the drained cucumber with the Greek yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, and toasted cumin seeds.
• When all of the components are ready, including the braised lamb and the onion basmati rice, serve up on plates with a big dollop of the cucumber raita yogurt sauce on the side of each plate.

Notes

This dish tastes arguably even better on the second and third day, after the cooked ingredients have time to get to know each other better in the pot overnight. Once gently reheated, the braised lamb can be more delicious than it was before.

If you wanted to, you could fry up some crispy shallots or onions in vegetable oil and serve the crispy onions on top of this dish.