Ground Lamb Pulao

Barb, your intuition's right. Many variants of pulao (or biryani) call for browning 1-2 chopped onions, though separately. (You can use the rendered fat from Step 2, which has a lot of flavor). Combine half the onion with the rice at the start of Step 6, half after it's cooked at the end of Step 7. The Middle Eastern lentil-and-rice dish mujaddara also uses browned onions - liberally - this way to elevate what would otherwise be an indifferent dish.

Absolutely delicious overall. Two comments I’d add are: 1) there is just no need for presoaking the rice that I can discern. Basmati rice is usually only a 15 minute simmer using the same exact procedure. 2) the teaspoon of salt at the rice stage was a bit slim. The rice definitely was under seasoned. Loved this and will definitely make again!

Jim - in India, "red chili powder" refers to cayenne - the commonest cultivar grown there. But you're right- even in Indian stores here, there are 3 varieties: Kashmiri (mild, like paprika), regular (no qualifier - presumably what this recipe calls for) and Extra-hot. Growing conditions determine heat - with water restriction and hot weather, the chili plant produces more capsaicin (a defensive molecule). See Amal Naj's excellent book "Peppers: a Story of Hot Pursuits".

Used this as a base to have some fun! -added a yellow onion after melting ghee into the lamb, along with roasted salted peanuts & RAISINS. The raisins made the dish & I will add even more next time. Also, I made the basmati in a rice cooker after rinsing it until water ran clear but not soaking. In the rice cooker, I added some cardamom pods, cumin seeds, ghee and salt along with the turmeric and lime juice. Then mixed rice into the lamb & followed the rest of recipe. Amazing!

I did this with brown rice and lean ground pork it was delicious! I also halved the amount of rice to cut down on on the carbs and boosted the veg with some chopped baby spinach.

You should definitely follow the instruction for soaking the basmati before cooking it. This process helps strengthen the grains so they don't break. It is traditional in South Asian cooking.

It was delicious. I did add some leftover cubed eggplant and lowered the meat content to lighten it. The eggplant took on the flavors of the meat and gave the meal extra depth.

I prefer to brown the onions along with garlic and ginger paste followed by the powder spices and some tomato to enliven the dish before adding the ground lamb. Makes a huge difference.

This is great for leftovers; it makes a wonderful filling for burritos. Scramble some eggs and wrap with the pulao in a tortilla for a fantastic breakfast dish.

I would have to fry an onion with the lamb.

Rest your index finger on top of the rice in the pan and add water to the level of the first knuckle. Do not push your finger into the rice--just rest it on top. Top joint of a finger is about 1". I've gotten perfect rice every time using this measuring method.

This was fantastic. I fried a thinly sliced white onion in a glug of olive oil until caramelized, then added it to the lamb at the end (prior to mixing with the rice.) It gave the dish a wonderful depth of flavor. Also added a finely diced Serrano chile to the lamb at the same time as the ginger and garlic.

The use of lamb in this otherwise traditionally vegetarian dish is great! Rich flavor to render spices in. Recipe is approachable to me as a novice Indian cook. Requires some raita (yoghurt) and maybe pickled achaar to accompany.

Decrease the pepper, spice? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

Start by following the directions on the rice package. With practice you will know how to adjust the water:rice ratio to suit your tastes. This approach works for Uncle Ben's, basmati, jasmine, and sticky. Washing & soaking seem to be matters of opinion, but here's a site for thought: https://food52.com/blog/25586-should-you-wash-rice-before-cooking?utm_campaign=20200925_eds_friday_buyer&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_term=21600204