Kabsat al Lahm
(Lamb with Rice)
This is the recipe of Souleiman Ghali, president of the Islamic Society of San Francisco, and typical of a dish common to Arabic countries such as Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
-
- 4 onions, diced
- 6 to 8 tablespoons butter
- 2½ pounds lamb (use lamb shank and/or leg of lamb), cut through the bone into 2-inch segments
- 1½ pounds tomatoes, diced
- Salt to taste
- 4 dried limes (hamod de limon), soaked in hot water until soft (about 1/2 hour), quartered 8 cardamom pods, gently cracked
- 3 to 6 dried chile peppers (optional)
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 2 to 3 teaspoons 7-spice powder (roast and grind if you buy 7-spice whole)
- 4 cups rice
- GARNISH
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds, for garnish (optional)
- 1/2 cup pine nuts, for garnish (optional)
- Butter or cooking oil (optional)
Sauté the onions in butter in a large Dutch oven or casserole until golden brown. Add the lamb and cook, stirring, until browned. Add the tomatoes and enough boiling water to barely cover the lamb. Simmer over medium heat for about 2 hours, or until the lamb is tender. Season with salt.
Add the limes, cardamom pods, chiles, cinnamon and spice mix. Pour the rice into the lamb mixture and stir. Pour in the lime-soaking liquid and enough water to cover the rice and lamb. Cover and cook over medium heat until the rice is done.
If garnishing, sauté the almonds and pine nuts in butter or oil until lightly browned.
Serve hot, sprinkled with nuts, if using.
Serves 6 to 8.
By Souleiman Ghali, for the San Francisco Chronicle, June 4, 2003
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