A beautiful, aromatic combination of spices that infuse with the lamb and rice, this curry will be one of your favourites. Adding a pinch of Saffron to the rice whilst cooking for extra flavour and colour would give your dish an imperatorial feeling!

Lamb:
In a large ceramic bowl, place the yoghurt, garlic, chilli and spices and stir to combine. Add the diced lamb and toss to coat in the mixture. Cover and set aside in a cool place to marinate for about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 170°C.

Place a frying pan over low heat, add the oil and gently heat. Add the sliced onion and cook until golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the lamb in batches and brown on both sides, transferring to a casserole dish as you go. Add the remaining marinade and cook for 20 seconds. Add the beef stock, bring up to the boil, then place in the casserole dish with the lamb and half of the cooked onion. Add the potatoes and season with salt. Cover and place in the oven to cook for 2 hours.

Remove from the oven and stir though half of the cooked rice. Sprinkle the remaining rice on top, return to the oven to heat the rice, if cooking rice ahead of time.

To serve:
Melt the butter in a small frying pan and add the almonds and sultanas. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon until golden. Add the remaining cooked onion and stir to heat. Scatter over the lamb and rice.

Serve lamb biryani with steamed green beans and a green yoghurt sauce, see tips.