Heat the oil in a wok (kadhai); fry only half the onions till brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain the excess oil on absorbent paper towels. Keep aside.

In the same oil, fry the remaining onions till transparent. Add ginger-garlic paste and saute. Add red chilli powder and whole spices; saute slightly.

Now add the lamb / chicken and cook on medium heat. When the water evaporates, add yoghurt gradually, bit by bit, till all is used up. Add just enough water to cook the lamb / chicken till tender. There should be no gravy left.

Boil the rice in plenty of water with salt. When almost done drain it.

In a large vessel, spread a layer of rice, then a layer of cooked lamb / chicken, and some fried onions. Continue the layering till all the rice and lamb / chicken are used up. Top with fried onions.

Mix the saffron with the yellow food colour mixture and pour it over the rice mixture. Do not mix the rice at this point.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately cover the rice with a wet cloth. Then place a lid on the vessel.

Before serving, remove the cloth and lid and serve the biryani on a big, rice platter.