traditional Arabic lamb goop and rice
Aug. 12th, 2007 07:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aryanhwyWe've had a house guest, Volker/Giano, since Thursday. One of his reasons for coming was to pick up the two books I'd borrowed from him last November when I visited him in Hamburg, as well as bring a few more books for perusal. One of those is Medieval Arab Cookery, essays and translations by M. Rodinson, A.J. Arberry, and C. Perry. Part of the book is a translation of medieval Arabic cookbooks, so for dinner tonight we tried interpreting the recipe for "labaniyya" (p. 322): Cut meat up and throw it in the pot and cover it with water. When it boils, remove the scum and throw it away. And when it is completely boiled, throw on onions, peeled, split eggplants which have been washed in hot water and bunches of min. And when it is half done, adjust its salt and thrown in spices. When it is done, its water evaporates from it. TAke it from the pot. Then put in as much yoghurt as needed, and when it boils lightly, prepare the meat and ingredients for it. Throw ground Chinese cinnamon and a little pounded garlic on it, and leave it on the fire awhile until it settles, and take it up.
Here's what we did:
Take 1/2 kilo boneless leg of lamb, trim and cube. Put in a stock pot and cover with water; when it boils, skim the scum. And two onions, peeled and quartered, three smallish eggplants, pealed and halved lengthwise, and a large bunch of mint (we used half of a bunch purchased from the market). Simmer covered until the eggplant is mostly soft. Remove mint, season with salt, pepper, and coriander. Continue simmerly with the cover off until most of the water is gone. Transfer to low heat. In a separate pot, slowly bring plain yoghur to a boil; we had 250 g, and probably would use 500 g next time. Once it has come to a boil, pour over meat/eggplant dish, and sprinkle with ground cinnamon and pressed garlic (we used three cloves; this was perhaps a bit too much). Do not stir, but let it continue simmering very gently, while cooking some basmati rice.
Overall, this was definitely worth the cost of the lamb. We all agreed that pretty much all of the spices and herbs, except for the garlic, could have been stronger, and that more yoghurt would have been better.
Here's what we did:
Take 1/2 kilo boneless leg of lamb, trim and cube. Put in a stock pot and cover with water; when it boils, skim the scum. And two onions, peeled and quartered, three smallish eggplants, pealed and halved lengthwise, and a large bunch of mint (we used half of a bunch purchased from the market). Simmer covered until the eggplant is mostly soft. Remove mint, season with salt, pepper, and coriander. Continue simmerly with the cover off until most of the water is gone. Transfer to low heat. In a separate pot, slowly bring plain yoghur to a boil; we had 250 g, and probably would use 500 g next time. Once it has come to a boil, pour over meat/eggplant dish, and sprinkle with ground cinnamon and pressed garlic (we used three cloves; this was perhaps a bit too much). Do not stir, but let it continue simmering very gently, while cooking some basmati rice.
Overall, this was definitely worth the cost of the lamb. We all agreed that pretty much all of the spices and herbs, except for the garlic, could have been stronger, and that more yoghurt would have been better.
