**Easy Cape Mutton Malay Biryani** A traditional South African dish

Biryani has a history as rich as the dish is flavorful, with some culinary historians fixing the aromatic stew’s first appearance in time as far back as 2 A.D., when Tamil cooks would conjure up the rice and meat combo to nourish military warriors before battle.

Since then, the traditional recipe’s made its way from the barracks of Persia to the royal palaces of India and all the way down to Cape Town, South Africa, where it’s become the stuff of legend in Cape Malay households.

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Ingredients

• 1kg mutton or lamb, cubed**
• 15mL grated ginger
• 10mL garlic, finely chopped
• 5mL salt or enough for taste
• 100mL cooking oil
• 300mL hot water
• 6 –7 potatoes, peeled and cut in quarters
• 625mL rice of your choice (recommended: basmati rice)
• 250mL lentils
• 3 onions, sliced
• A few dollops of butter

Marinade:

• 3 sticks cinnamon
• 5 cardamom pods
• 2 green chillies
• 2,5mL turmeric
• 5mL roasted masala
• 30mL garam masala
• 5 whole cloves
• A few strands saffron
• 1 tomato, grated
• 250mL buttermilk

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Instructions

1. Wash and drain meat in colander.
   
2. Rub ginger, garlic and salt into meat.
   
3. Combine marinade ingredients and marinate meat for about 3 hours.
   
4. Boil lentils until tender (for about 20 minutes), rinse and drain.
5. Wash rice until water runs clear and drain.
   

6. Heat 50mL oil in a large pan over medium heat, add rice and toss to

   coat well (with the oil). Add 100mL hot water to rice and cook covered

   over medium heat for 5 minutes, remove from heat and set aside.

7. Heat the remaining oil in a large pan and fry the potatoes until golden brown.

   Remove the potatoes and set aside.

8. Add the meat, marinade and two-thirds of the onions to a saucepan and

   cook covered over medium heat for about 30 minutes. Remove meat and set aside.

9. In saucepan, lay ingredients as follows: potatoes, rice, meat, potatoes,

   rice, meat and finally the lentils and reserved onions on top. Dot with

   butter and sprinkle with 200mL hot water.

10. Cook covered over high heat for 5 minutes, then simmer for 45 minutes

    to 1 hour over low heat. Alternatively, you can layer the ingredients in a

    glass baking dish and bake in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for roughly

    an hour (or until the rice and meat is nice and tender).

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To serve:

Garnish with fresh coriander and serve with atjar or sambal.

bon appetit