Katif ghanam with kabsa rice
This beautiful slow-cooked lamb dish from Imad Alarnab is served over a dish of spiced, raisin-studded red pepper rice. Imad notes that you can also swap out the rice, and instead add onions, carrots and potatoes to the lamb when you wrap it in foil, to slow-cook alongside the rice. Imad has recipes for how to make kabsa spice and baharat from scratch in his cookbook Imad’s Syrian Kitchen.
This recipe is adapted from Imad’s Syrian Kitchen by Imad Alarnab (HQ, HarperCollins Publishers, £26)
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
- 1.5kg lamb shoulder, or up to 2kg, bone-in
- 10 garlic cloves, peeled
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- 4 sprigs of rosemary
- cashew nuts, for garnish
- micro parsley
Marinade
- 5 garlic cloves, grated to a paste
- 2 tbsp of smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp of mild madras curry powder
- 1/2 tbsp of freshly ground black pepper
- 3cm of fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tbsp of baharat powder
- lemon juice, from 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp of tomato purée
- 2 tbsp of red pepper paste
- 1 pinch of salt
- 150ml of olive oil
Red pepper rice
- 400g of long grain rice
- 4 tbsp of olive oil
- 1 tbsp of cumin seeds
- 3 red peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped
- 1 green pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
- 2 red onions, cut into slices 1 cm thick
- 2 small red chillies, optional, or just use 1
- 1 1/2 tbsp of kabsa spice, or up to 2 tablespoons
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp baharat powder, or up to 2 teaspoons
- 3 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 green cardamom pods
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tin of chopped tomatoes, 400g
- 75g of golden raisins, or sultanas
Method
Mix together all the marinade ingredients in a large container
- 5 garlic cloves, grated to a paste
- 2 tbsp of smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp of mild madras curry powder
- 1/2 tbsp of freshly ground black pepper
- 3cm of fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tbsp of baharat powder
- lemon juice, from 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp of tomato purée
- 2 tbsp of red pepper paste
- 1 pinch of salt
- 150ml of olive oil
Rub the marinade all over the lamb so it’s completely covered. Cover and marinate in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, ideally overnight
- 1.5kg lamb shoulder, or up to 2kg, bone-in
When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 160°C/Fan 140°C/ gas 3
Take the lamb from the fridge, then get a high-sided oven tray and line with a layer of foil and a layer of baking paper, large enough to cover the lamb. Add the garlic and herb sprigs to the middle, followed by the lamb and all the marinade. Fold the foil and baking paper over the lamb like a parcel, then flip it over and wrap it again in another layer of foil so the lamb is tightly wrapped and there are no gaps. The lamb needs to cook in its own juices, so it’s really important that it’s completely covered at this stage
- 10 garlic cloves, peeled
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- 4 sprigs of rosemary
Place in the oven and cook for 4 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone. Remove from the oven, unwrap, increase the temperature to 200°C/Fan 180°C/gas 6 and roast until browned on top
When the lamb has about 1 hour to go, start the red pepper rice. Wash the rice in a sieve until the water runs clear, then add to a bowl with enough water to cover. Soak for 30 minutes
- 400g of long grain rice
Heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large heavy-based pan over a medium-high heat, then add the cumin seeds and toast for a minute
- 4 tbsp of olive oil
- 1 tbsp of cumin seeds
Add the peppers and red onions and cook for 8–10 minutes, or until they get a little colour
- 3 red peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped
- 1 green pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
- 2 red onions, cut into slices 1 cm thick
If you are using the chilli (or two), slice them in half lengthways and add to the pot along with the spices, salt and tomatoes
- 2 small red chillies, optional, or just use 1
- 1 1/2 tbsp of kabsa spice, or up to 2 tablespoons
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp baharat powder, or up to 2 teaspoons
- 3 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 green cardamom pods
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tin of chopped tomatoes, 400g
Fill the empty tomato tin with water and add it in, then bring everything up to the boil
Put the lid on and turn down to a bubbling simmer for 25–30 minutes
Taste the sauce, making sure the seasoning is right, then drain the rice and stir it into the pan along with the raisins
- 75g of golden raisins, or sultanas
Bring the rice back up to the boil, then put the lid on and immediately turn it right down to the lowest simmer for 15 minutes. Take off the heat, leaving the lid tightly on, and rest for 10 minutes. Lift the lid on the rice and stir it gently with a fork to break up the grains
Serve the lamb over the rice, and garnish with cashews and micro parsley
- cashew nuts, for garnish
- micro parsley
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