• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

4 teaspoons mild curry powder

6 garlic cloves, slivered

4½ cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus additional for greasing the baking dish

2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger

2 cups basmati rice (see Note)

1½ teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoon saffron threads

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

One 4-inch cinnamon stick

½ cup chopped dried apricots

2 cups plain yogurt

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Swirl in the canola oil, then add the onion and carrots. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes.

Add the lamb; cook, stirring often, until browned, about 8 minutes.

Add the curry powder and half the garlic; cook, stirring often, until aromatic. Stir in 1 cup broth and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits in the pan.

Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer slowly for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 13 × 9-inch baking dish and set aside.

While the lamb continues to cook, melt the butter in a second large saucepan over medium heat. Add the remainder of the garlic and the ginger; cook, stirring all the while, until slightly softened and very aromatic, about 1 minute.

Add the rice, salt, saffron, cloves, cayenne, and cinnamon stick; stir well to coat the rice in the fat and pour in the remaining 3½ cups broth. Bring to a simmer.

Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the rice is fairly tender but still with a little tooth to the bite, until almost all the liquid has been absorbed, about 14 minutes. Set aside off the heat.

After the lamb has cooked for 30 minutes, remove it from the broth with a slotted spoon, place in a medium bowl, and stir in the apricots and yogurt. (Reserve the broth in the pan.)

Remove the cinnamon stick from the rice. Spread half the rice evenly across the bottom of the baking dish. Top with the lamb mixture, spreading it to the sides; then spoon and spread the remainder of the rice over the top of the dish. Pour the cooking broth evenly over the dish.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake until the rice and lamb are tender, about 45 minutes. Set aside at room temperature for 10 minutes, covered, before serving.

Note: In Hindi, “basmati” mean aromatic. It’s a long-grain rice from India now grown extensively in the U.S.

Variations: Substitute beef or veal stew meat for the lamb—or substitute chopped boneless skinless chicken thighs, but only cook them in the broth for 10 minutes.

This is a fairly complicated dish, so we only used bottled curry powder, doctored with saffron, cloves, and cayenne. If you want to make your own curry blend, omit the curry powder and its doctoring spices and use the spice blend in the Coconut Chicken Curry or the Shrimp or Scallop Rogan Josh.

Porcini Risotto

Risotto is a creamy rice dish, usually served as a first course in larger Italian meals, but it can also be enjoyed on its own during the week. How do you get around all that stirring on a Wednesday evening? With a pressure cooker—but here the traditional technique is given first. Makes 4 servings

¾ ounce dried porcini mushrooms

1½ cups boiling water

1 quart (4 cups) chicken broth

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 large onion, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon stemmed thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon saffron threads, optional

1 cup Arborio rice

2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated

Place the dried mushrooms in a large bowl, cover with the boiling water, and set aside to soften for 20 minutes.

Transfer the mushrooms to a cutting board with a slotted spoon, reserving their soaking liquid. Roughly chop the mushrooms. Strain the liquid through a colander lined with cheesecloth or a fine-mesh sieve like a chinoise to remove any sand. Set the mushrooms and liquid aside separately.

Bring the broth to the barest simmer (just a bubble or two) in a medium saucepan over low heat. Adjust the