Quzi

Before you start

• a heavy pot with a tight lid
• about 3h, nearly all of it unattended

Ingredients

Serves 4 · dimmer marks are storecupboard

• 600glamb shoulder — on the bone if you can — it is what makes the broth
• 340gbasmati rice
• 1½ tbspghee
• 30gflaked almonds and raisins
• 2onions
• 2 tspbaharat, cinnamon and bay leaves
• 100gpeas and carrot
• 1 tbsptomato purée

Method

9 steps

1. chop · 7m

   Onions sliced, carrot diced small, lamb left in the biggest pieces the pot will take.

2. fry · 14m

   Lamb browned hard in the ghee in batches and lifted out, then onions into the same fat until gold, then the spices and tomato purée cooked for a minute until they smell toasted.

3. simmer · 2h 30m walk away

   Lamb back in with water barely to cover, lid on, lowest heat, until a spoon goes through it without argument. Three hours is not long; two usually is not enough.

4. chop · 5m

   Meat lifted out whole, broth strained and the fat skimmed off the top.

5. boil · 18m walk away

   Rinsed rice cooked in that broth with the peas and carrot, lid on, lowest heat.

6. rest · 10m walk away

   Off the heat, still covered.

7. fry · 3m

   Almonds and raisins in a little ghee until the nuts colour and the raisins puff up.

8. grill · 7m

   Lamb brushed with ghee and put under a hot grill for a few minutes so the outside crisps. It has been steaming for three hours and needs an edge put back on it.

9. finish · 5m

   Rice piled onto the platter, lamb set on top in one piece rather than carved, nuts and raisins over.