Pakistani Lamb Biryani

Name: Pakistani Lamb Biryani
Ingredients: 1 cup canola oil; 3 large yellow onions, thinly sliced; 2 tbsp. garam masala; 1 tsp. crushed red chile flakes; 1⁄2 tsp. turmeric; 18 black peppercorns; 9 pods green cardamom; 3 pods black cardamom; 2 sticks (2″) cinnamon; 6 cloves garlic, minced; 6 tomatoes, cored and minced; 5 serrano chiles, stemmed and minced; 1 (1 1/2″) piece ginger, peeled and minced; 2 lb. trimmed lamb shoulder, cut into 2–3″ pieces; Kosher salt, to taste; 1⁄2 cup plain yogurt; 3⁄4 cup roughly chopped mint leaves; 1⁄4 cup roughly chopped cilantro; 40 threads saffron, crushed (heaping 1/2 tsp.); 2 1⁄2 cups white basmati rice, soaked in cold water for 30 minutes, drained; 1⁄2 tsp. cumin seeds; 4 whole cloves; 2 dried bay leaves; Rose water or kewra essence (optional); Red/orange food color (optional)