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Nasi Briyani Gam – Lamb Biryani from Johor
Nasi briyani gam is the celebration meal in Johor in southern Malaysia, and at weddings families cook it in huge cauldrons. You marinate lamb in yogurt and spices, braise it in ghee and lay half-cooked basmati rice on top. Then you seal the pot, and the rice and meat cook together in the steam. Saffron milk colors the rice yellow in patches. You eat it with raita made from yogurt and cucumber, or acar, pickled vegetables.
Nasi Briyani Gam – Lamb Biryani from Johor
Laura Chen
4
1 hour 30 minutes
1 hour 50 minutes
835
Malaysian
Main course
Nasi Briyani Gam comes from Johor in southern Malaysia. Gam means to stick: you lay par-cooked basmati rice on the braised lamb and seal the pot until both finish cooking together. In Indian chicken biryani you layer chicken and saffron rice. Briyani gam tastes of yogurt, ghee and Malaysian spice mix.
Ingredients
For the lamb:
- 700 g boneless leg of lamb, in 4 cm cubes
- 150 g plain yogurt
- 4 cm ginger, puréed
- 6 garlic cloves, puréed
- 2 tbsp garam masala or briyani spice mix
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
- 2 onions, in fine rings
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 cardamom pods
- 4 cloves
- 2 star anise
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 300 ml water
- 10 mint leaves
For the rice:
- 350 g basmati rice
- 2 l water for par-cooking
- 1 tsp salt
- 100 ml milk
- 1 pinch saffron threads
- 1 tbsp ghee
For the raita:
- 200 g plain yogurt
- 1/2 cucumber, finely diced
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Stir together the yogurt, ginger, garlic, garam masala, turmeric, chili powder and 1 tsp salt and mix in the lamb. Marinate it in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Wash the rice until the water stays clear and soak it for 30 minutes. Warm the milk and add the saffron.
- Heat 3 tbsp of ghee in a heavy pot and fry the onions for 12 minutes, until deep brown. Take out half.
- Fry the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and star anise in the ghee for 1 minute, add the lamb with the marinade and fry for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, 300 ml of water and 1/2 tsp salt.
- Braise the lamb covered over low heat for 1 hour, until almost tender and the sauce has cooked down thick.
- Par-cook the rice in 2 l of salted water for 5 minutes, until soft outside and still firm inside, and drain.
- Spread the rice over the lamb without stirring. Drizzle with the saffron milk and 1 tbsp of ghee and sprinkle with the fried onions and mint.
- Seal the pot with foil and the lid and cook everything over the lowest heat for 30 minutes. Then let it rest closed for 10 minutes.
- Stir the yogurt, cucumber and salt together into the raita. When serving, lift the rice and meat through from the bottom to the top.
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