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; ½ tsp. turmeric; 18 black peppercorns; 9 pods green cardamom; 3 pods black cardamom; 2 2 cinnamon sticks; 6 cloves garlic, minced; 6 tomatoes, cored and minced; 5 serrano chiles, stemmed and minced; 1 1½ piece ginger, peeled and minced; 2 lbs. trimmed lamb shoulder, cut into 2–3 pieces; Kosher salt, to taste; ½ cup plain yogurt; ¾ cup roughly chopped mint leaves; ¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro; 40 threads saffron, crushed (heaping ½ tsp.); 2½ cups white basmati rice, soaked in cold water for 30 minutes, drained; ½ tsp. cumin seeds; 4 whole cloves; 2 dried bay leaves; Rose water or kewra essence (optional); Red/orange food color (optional)