Ingredients:
1 kilo lamb, cubed
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 piece of ginger, minced
pinch cayenne pepper
4 cinnamon sticks
4 whole cloves
6 black peppercorns
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups yogurt
1 cup rice
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water, hot
1 cup lentils
1/2 cup almonds
2 tablespoons sultanas

Directions:
Heat the peanut oil in a heavy-based saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté. Add all the seasonings and fry for 3-5 minutes. Add the meat and brown it. Pour over the yogurt, cover with a lid and simmer for approximately 40 minutes until the meat is tender.
In another saucepan, add the rice, salt and turmeric to 500 ml boiling water and par-boil. Drain rice and reserve liquid. In the meantime par-cook the lentils in boiling salted water. Drain, reserve liquid and mix the par-cooked lentils with the rice. Arrange the meat and rice-lentil mixture in a casserole in alternate layers.
Pour in all the reserved liquids and place the casserole in the oven to bake at 160ºC (Gas mark 4) for approximately 30 minutes or until the rice is cooked and all the liquid is absorbed. Fry the sultanas and almonds in 15 ml heated cooking oil until brown. Spoon the biriani into a serving dish and garnish with fried sultanas and almonds. Serve immediately with prunes in yogurt or any sambal of your choice.