• Set your oven on to 350F.

Make the rice

• If you have a rice cooker use it. Combine the rice, water, chicken stock, black cardamom, clove, cinnamon or cassia stick and salt. Push the button. Walk away. Make the keema while the rice cooker does its thing.
• If you don't have a rice cooker this is an easy way to make basmati. You can pre-soak, rinse or pray to the rice gods if you want but this works pretty well as written. It works. I did this for years until I got a decent rice cooker.
• Pick a saucepan with a fairly tight fitting lid that's not way too big. Combine the water, chicken stock, black cardamom, cloves, cinnamon bark, salt and the rice in your chosen saucepan.
• Bring to a simmer over medium heat uncovered. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes. Set a timer. Trust me. You will forget otherwise. While this is going on make the keema (see below).
• When the timer goes off after 20 minutes, turn off the heat and let stand an additional 5 minutes. Uncover. Remove the whole spices. They should be just sitting on top. Fluff gently and replace the cover to keep the rice warm.

Brown the lamb

• Pick a nice large skillet. 12 inch diameter works well if you have one.
• Preheat the pan over medium heat.
• Add the oil.
• Crumble the lamb into the pan. You want little chunks about the size of a coffee bean.
• Add the salt and fry the lamb, stirring occasionally, until the lamb is pretty much cooked through. This should take somewhere around 8-10 minutes.
• Remove the lamb from the frying pan. Use a slotted spoon. You want to leave the rendered lamb fat behind. Reserve 5 tablespoons of it. That luscious lamb fat flavour gets used in the next step.

Make the keema

• Do your prep. Make the keema spice mix. Combine all the spice mix ingredients in a small bowl. Dilute the tomato paste. Slice your shallots. Have everything at hand.
• Heat the reserved lamb fat in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until they start to brown. They will brown some more in the next steps.
• Push the shallot to one side of the pan. Add the cumin seed and black cardamom. Cook for about 30 seconds. You want to see little bubbles forming around the seeds.
• Add the garlic ginger paste. Stir it into the oil and cook until it stops sputtering. Watch it. Be careful. Don't let it burn.
• Turn the heat to medium low. Add the spice mix. Stir to thoroughly combine the oil in the pan with the spices. Cook for about 30 seconds. Really watch it. There should be enough lamb fat in the pan. If the spices start to stick turn down the heat and add a bit more oil. If you are on an electric stove and run into trouble pick the pan up and move it to a cold burner. You do not want the spices to burn. You are starting over if you do that.
• Add the diluted tomato paste. Stir and turn the heat up to medium. Cook about a minute.
• Add the pre-cooked lamb and cook, stirring regularly, until everything is nice and hot.
• At this point your keema will be quite dry. I find it takes about 1/4 cup of water or chicken stock to get it to the point of being lightly saucy - which is what you want. Judgement call here but I like 1/4 cup.

Assemble the keema rice

• Use a pot that's about 9-10 inches in diameter. Make sure it has a tight fitting lid.
• Put a little more than half the rice in the pot and spread it out in an even layer. Top with the keema mixture. Add the rest of the rice. Top with the fried shallots.
• Cover the pot with tinfoil and then the lid. That's a trick I picked up from cooking French braises. The tinfoil adds a little extra seal. It's not quite as good as the dough seal in a traditional dum biryani but it helps.
• Transfer the assembled keema rice to the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
• After the keema has baked for 15 minutes remove it from the oven and place it on the stove. Let stand for 10 minutes.
• To serve transfer the contents to a platter. Don't worry if it looks messy. That's OK. It's keema rice. It's one big tasty jumble.
• Garnish with more fried shallots and a bit of cilantro. Serve. Enjoy.