LAMB BIRYANI
CHEF’S STEP BY STEP
by Sumayya Usmani
This dish is traditionally made with mutton, but you can use diced shoulder of lamb if you prefer. My recipe is based on a Pakistani biryani from the Sindh province where it’s made with soured yogurt and dried sour plums. I like to substitute local produce and I’ve found that using fresh unripe plums works well with a handful of fresh pomegranate seeds – the fresh ones are easier to find than the dried seeds used in Pakistan. Sindhi biryani is a celebratory dish and it’s one that brings back special memories for me.
PHOTOGRAPHS GARETH MORGANS FOOD STYLING LOTTIE COVELL STYLING OLIVIA WARDLE
MEET THE CHEF
Sumayya’s food writing is rooted in her own food memories and in the traditions of Pakistan, where she was born and raised, but she gives every recipe her own twist. She’s written two beautiful cookbooks, Summers Under The Tamarind Tree and Mountain Berries and Desert Spice, and now lives in Glasgow. She teaches cookery classes around the country, is a columnist for Scotland’s Sunday Herald and co-presents The Kitchen Café on BBC Radio Scotland.