Cooking with mutton: the recipes Mutton biryani This recipe has been developed by my head chef Alex from an idea to a brilliant recipe. We serve it with boiled eggs, gold leaf, pomegranates, pistachios, coriander leaves and tomato chaat. In fact, we get a bit carried away, but it's good to appreciate a biryani for the true celebratory dish it is. And the reward for the time it takes to make it is truly in the eating. Of course, you can use lamb if you can't find an older beast. For the spice mix (makes enough for a few biryani): 1 tbsp coriander seeds 1 tbsp brown cumin 1 tbsp black cumin (if you have it) 1 tbsp dried rose petals (if you have them) 2in piece of cinnamon stick A large pinch of saffron ½ tsp of cloves 1 tbsp of black pepper ¼ tsp of fennel seeds 5 green cardamom pods 2 black cardamom pods ½ tsp turmeric ½ tsp mild chilli powder For the main biryani: 300g basmati rice 1 tbsp olive oil 2kg of mutton shoulder off the bone cut into 2in-square chunks 3 tbsp red wine vinegar 4 small red onions, thinly sliced 6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped/crushed in a pestle and mortar 2in of ginger, grated 4 tbsp thick yogurt 100g ground almonds 1 tin of chopped tomatoes, rinsed For the dough: 100g plain flour 40ml water A pinch of salt 50ml of milk A pinch of saffron 1 whole star anise 6 cardamom pods To garnish (any of the below) Gold leaf Seeds from 1 pomegranate Fried onions Boiled eggs Coriander leaves Dried rose petals Gently toast the cumin and coriander separately in dry frying pans until a little browned. Grind all the spices in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar then mix to make a wonderful aromatic spice mix. Soak the rice in water. 3. with salt and turning every 30 seconds or so and browning well all over. Remove the mutton and add three tbsp of the spice mix to the pan. Cook for a few seconds until the aroma fills the room. Add the vinegar and scrape any bits that have stuck in the pan. Add the onions, garlic and ginger to the pan and cook slowly for about 10 minutes. Return the meat to the pan, add the yogurt, ground almonds and tomatoes and top up with water until the meat is just covered. Cover with the lid and turn down the heat. Cook very gently, stirring occasionally, for three hours or until the meat is completely soft. Add more water if it reduces too much. Check the seasoning; it may need a splash more vinegar or some salt. Boil a large pan of well-seasoned water, drain the soaking rice and boil it briskly for three minutes. Heat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Mix the flour, water and salt, then knead to make a soft dough. Choose an ovenproof pot; I used a round terracotta one, but any pan that can go from oven to table will do. Heat the saffron with the milk until it boils. Meanwhile, add half of the meat to the bottom of the pot. Add half of the rice on top of that then add more meat (retain some of the juice to serve on the side) and finish with the rice. Top with the whole anise, cardamom and cinnamon. Make a few holes through the rice right down to the bottom of the pot with the handle of a tablespoon and pour in the saffron milk. Roll the dough out into a disc and lay over the pot to seal it. Bake the biryani for 20 minutes. Serve with a bowl of the remaining juice from the meat and a bowl of pomegranate seeds. I put gold leaf on the dough to make it really feel like a celebration of a dish.