Biryani is a true labor of love. It simply can’t be thrown together in a rush: it asks for patience, a suite of key kitchen techniques and, yes, a bit of planning ahead. But the result is worth it when you taste the saffron-infused rice, the melt-in-your-mouth lamb marinated in Indian spices and the creamy, rich gravy brightened by tomato and saffron. This is a recipe that benefits from some professional support when you’re making it for the first time. Thankfully, guest chef Cherie Scott, founder of , has taught a class where she walks you through it all. In this pre-recorded Zoom class, you’ll learn Cherie’s mother’s lamb biryani, the same one she used to spend days—days!—preparing for up to 40 people before every big family celebration. Yours won’t take days to make, but you’ll be glad for Cherie’s insights as you blend your own garam masala variation, learn why lamb loves to be marinated in yogurt, make an Indian-style gravy (sauce) and prepare perfumed rice enriched with a splash of milk and a pinch of precious saffron threads. You’ll learn the history of biryanis, which date to the 1600s, when they were a preferred dish of Mughal emperors. You’ll get a peek into Cherie’s pantry and learn which ingredients you’ll want to have on hand for future biryani endeavors. Open a bottle of your best wine: this lamb feast is fit for royalty and calls for nothing less than a celebration!

What's Included: You will receive a .zip file that includes the cooking school video as well as PDFs of the recipe instructions.

How to Download: After you purchase your Milk Street Cooking School Video, you will receive an email from the Milk Street Store with the subject line "Your Cooking School Video is Ready for Download." Within this email there is a link that will direct you to a download page, click download now to download the .zip folder. To unzip the folder, double-click the zipped folder to open it. Please note: your video download file will have an approximate size of 500 MB.

Mumbai native Cherie Scott left India at the age of 16 and moved to Vancouver, BC. After a few stops in New York City and New Jersey, Cherie has been anchored in Boothbay, Maine now for over a decade. In 2015, she launched her culinary blog www.MumbaitoMaine.com to share her signature recipes and nostalgic anecdotes of her youth in Mumbai. In 2018, Cherie was invited to join a lineup of notable guest chef instructors at Stonewall Kitchen Cooking School, where she curated an exclusive, regional Indian cooking series. Cherie is the host of “Talking Food In Maine,” a series of intimate one-on-one conversations with notable culinary pioneers who have made a substantial contribution to the culinary arts in the state of Maine. To celebrate Maine’s bicentennial and gastronomic talent, Cherie hosted and produced Mumbai to Maine’s podcast in 2020 showcasing some of Maine’s most accomplished culinary taste-makers. In the heart of the pandemic, Cherie launched her signature line of gourmet Indian simmer sauces: Makhani, Saag and Caldine. Inspired by her family’s heritage recipes, these simmer sauces are masterfully crafted in small batches and simmered for hours with an infusion of freshly roasted and ground spice blends. Mumbai to Maine is Maine’s first Indian-inspired culinary brand, available nationwide on www.mumbaitomaine.com and across specialty stores in Maine.