This Slow Cooked Lamb & Rice BLEW MY MIND 🤯

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Yemeni Zurbian is one of the best lamb and rice dishes that I've ever tried. Spiced lamb is braised until tender, then layered with potatoes and two kinds of rice, before being topped with crispy fried onions. Once covered in the Spicy Zoug chilli sauce, it's impossible to resist
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0:00 Intro
0:30 Yemeni Hawaij Spice mix
1:51 Braising the Meat
4:43 Preparing Zhoug Chilli Sauce
6:13 Fried onions
7:46 Braising Continued
8:16 Making 2 types of rice
10:14 Final Assembly
11:41 Taste Test & Outro
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Ingredients:
Hawaij:
2 Tbsp Cumin
2 Tsp Black Peppercorns
2 Tsp Green Cardamom
1 1/2 Tsp Coriander Seeds
1/4 Tsp Cloves
1 Inch piece of Cinnamon
Braised Lamb:
2 Kg Lamb Shoulder
350g Onions
350g Tomatoes
8 Garlic cloves
4 Bay leaves
3 Tbsp Hawaij
4 Tsp Salt
4 Tbsp Vegetable oil
1.5L Lamb or beef Stock
750g Potatoes
Zoug/Sahawiq:
10 sprigs coriander
4 Green Onions
3 sprigs mint
3 Green Chillies
2 Mild Green Peppers
1 Plum tomato
1 clove garlic
1/2 Tsp salt
140 ml Lemon juice
Fried onions:
750g Onions
750ml Vegetable Oil
White rice:
3 Cloves
2-3 Bay Leaves
2 1/2 Cups Basmati Rice
1 Tbsp Onion Oil
1 Tsp salt
1/2 Tsp peppercorns
Pinch of saffron
Lamb Spiced rice:
1 1/2 Cups Basmati Rice
50g Yogurt
Green liquid from Sahawiq
Lamb stock
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Directions:
To prepare the meat:
1- Mix the salt, Hawaij and 2 Tbsp Vegetable oil into a paste, then coat the meat in it
2- Add 1 Tbsp of oil to a pan, then sear the meat in it on all sides, until evenly browned
3- Place the meat in your braising vessel, then add 1 Tbsp of oil to the pan
4- Finely chop the onions and tomatoes, and thinly slice the garlic. Add them to the pan over medium heat and deglaze it
5- Cook the vegetables until they start to caramelize then evenly spread over the meat
6- Pour stock over the meat and add the bay leaves then cover. Bake at 180c for 2.5-3 hours until the meat is tender
7- When done, slice the potatoes into large chunks, then place in the dish, and cook for 45 minutes more
To make the Sahawiq:
1- Roughly chop the vegetables, then place in a blender or food processor with the salt
2- Process until very finely chopped then pour into a strainer
3- Allow most of the liquid to strain off till it starts to clump together (Keep the green liquid)
4- Add the lemon juice to the vegetables and then refrigerate until needed
To make the fried onions:
1- Slice the onions very thin, then place them in a cold pan
2- Pour over the oil and turn the heat to high
3- Allow the oil to come to frying temperature, then continuously stir the onions until they brown
4- Once browned sufficiently, pull out the onions and drain them then place on paper towels
5- Salt while hot and change the towels once they become saturated with oil
To make the white rice:
1- Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil, then add the spices (excluding saffron) and oil
2- Wash your rice thoroughly, then add to the pot, and boil for 5 minutes
3- Once boiled strain the rice, to remove all liquid
To make the spiced rice:
1- Strain the stock out of the braising dish, leaving behind all of the meat and potatoes
2- Add the yoghurt and green liquid to the stock, then mix well
3- Wash the rice thoroughly and add to the pot, and bring to a boil
4- Boil for 5 minutes then strain
Final assembly:
1- Place the saffron in a small bowl, then pour over some boiling water. Muddle it and let rest for a minute
2- Remove the meat pieces from the dish, and place them ontop of the potatoes
3- Add on the brown rice, spreading it in an even layer
4- Add on the white rice, spread evenly, then pour over the saffron
5- Place the lid back on top then bake for another hour
6- To serve, flip the pot upside down, or layer the rice, then meat, then cover with fried onions and almonds

[@MiddleEats]

Hope you all enjoyed this amazing Yemeni Dish, we had a lot of fun working on this recipe! On another note, thank you all so much for getting us to *200,000 subscribers* . We hit the milestone exactly on our 2nd anniversary of the channel (8th April) and we owe it all to everyone watching. Thanks for all the support you've given us over the past 2 years, and we're looking forward to bigger and greater things this year! Obi & Salma

[@meganmcdermott7538]

On Eid my Muslim neighbor gifted me with quite a bit of lamb. A few days later I made this dish and invited them for dinner. It was well worth the effort. It may be one of the best dishes I've ever made or eaten. I'm getting a reputation as a good cook thanks to your recipes.

[@pezboy715]

Let me tell you why I absolutely adore this video - He burned some of the lamb. He didn’t follow the procedure properly. He couldn’t quite get all of the lamb under the liquid and said to get it “as good as it will get”. The sauce oxidized. And yet, none of that really mattered in the end, did it? This is the most authentic, genuine, real-to-life food video I have ever seen in the 10+ years of being a frequent viewer of the food side of KZbin. I’m so glad I found this channel, y’all are doing great things.

[@ahmedopone4080]

Remove the dry onion & replace with butter fried/ roasted carrots, potatoes & onion rings and you have a classic Somali wedding rice. Love to my great Yemeni people❤❤❤❤

[@ahmedopone4080]

@@wsrtwetr You're not Yemeni. Stop pretending.

[@lady8jane]

That sounds amazing! Will certainly try it.

[@ahmedopone4080]

@@lady8jane 👍

[@enrichment9899]

I first thought these onions were fried carrots. I think they'd fit perfectly in this dish.

[@ashvinvaidyanathan7239]

Butter fried carrots? That sounds heavenly

[@kattkatt744]

Love that you keep your mistakes in! It makes big dishes with many steps like this feel more approachable!

[@MiddleEats]

Hah, yeah it's too much work (and too expensive) to always reshoot, but also it doesn't affect the final dish too much.

[@usak900]

Out of all the channels out there, I believe yours is definitely the most authentic when it comes to different cuisines. Everything always looks so delicious and something I wanna make. With that said, any chance you'll make something like Turkish Iskender Kebab? It's one of my all time favorite dishes, and there's not really many English speaking channels for this dish.

[@HappyCodingZX]

here's a tip - after cooking all those onions, put them into a funnel - the onions will act as a filter for themselves and then let all the oil drain into a bottle, this way you won't lose any to the paper towels. Then spread the onions out as you did. As you said, the onion oil is great for cooking with or even drizzling over other dishes.

[@aydinskitchen3418]

Hi friend please visit my cooking channel and 😊🙏💐

[@zeynand4039]

Smart, thanks. Will try it.

[@tranquilitymusicproductions]

Wow! This isn't clickbait, ( not that you guys would do that to us), this is truly the ULTIMATE Lamb and Rice dish. Love your channel and all you do on here!

[@HopALongSassidy]

I am making your dish today. I just put the lamb in the oven. Guests will be here for lunch. I let you know how it goes, but so far yum-yum-yum. On to the fried onions and green sauce. Update: It was so good that my family asked me to cook it on Thanksgiving. It is a superb recipe.

[@aksapara]

I literally just took this out of the oven and it’s amazing. I followed the instructions word for word and it came out exactly as expected. Thank you so much!

[@marcomacaluso7724]

Found your channel recently and your video are presented perfectly imo. Passionate about the food without being over the top but also delivering a ton of information in a succinct way. Really good.

[@mhamid8529]

Spent my Sunday tending over this. Pregnant wife was very happy!! I set aside a load of the stock and made a gravy out of it by adding some yoghurt and a good squeeze of lemon.

[@Alexlalpaca]

Since you saw my last comment I hope you may see this one as well. After serving this to my friends yesterday and everything that happened, this dish will always hold a special place in my heart, so thanks!

[@saraahmed783]

Oh this made me so so happy! I tried the fatayer following the recipe you put on your channel and it was so good. I'm so excited to see a Yemeni dish yay! Much love and support ❤️❤️

[@Sadin15]

For the rice being cooked in stock, cook it like you'd cook pilaf (the liquid cooked with the rice). You'll get more flavorful rice that way.

[@hiera1917]

Exactly!!! Like he dumped it down the sink like noooooo 😭

[@starfthegreat]

One of the many advantages of living in Qatar 🇶🇦 is the wide availability of amazing Yemeni food. I always eat classics like Zurbian, Mandi, Ogdat, and Madfoun, its a shame that this amazing cuisine isn't more famous across the world

[@MiddleEats]

Yes Yemeni food is amazing! It's not well known outside of the Gulf, but it definitely deserves to be.

[@mohsinmajeed96]

Where have you had the best Zurbian? My experience hasn't been so great. Badly craving for some good haneeth!

[@starfthegreat]

@@mohsinmajeed96 try Fan al Zurbian restaurant, or Bandar Aden in Souq Waqif

[@mohsinmajeed96]

@@starfthegreat Thank you.

[@MuminBro23]

I’ve been trying your recipes for my Iftar meals, they’re great! It’s my first Ramadan so I’m happy to that I have good food to look forward to every evening haha

[@moriarty7589]

Did this recipe and its really sooo amazing. The meat becomes so tender, that it falls apart and also with your way finally I managed to do crispy onions. Thank you very much for this great recipe!!

[@johndrake6525]

Fond: the brown bits accumulated in the pan. Frond: the leafy branch of a fern. Thanks for all the great recipes!

[@yemen9222]

Because somalis adopted from yemen, when somalis lived in Aden

[@meriamm000]

This looks amazing!! I have to try this one soon. Thanks so much for all the delicious recipes Obi

[@mubarakamuchhala2235]

This looks so good I can't wait to try it! But my jaw dropped when you drained away all of that delicious stock from the rice 😭 I wouldn't have added as much water so the rice would absorb all of that delicious flavour and none was wasted!

[@ayeshaumar5325]

Me too!! 😓 Biryani from India is done the same way but all the stock water is used for cooking the rice which makes it soo soo flavourful !

[@daviddanielducker5446]

I literally gasped! Horror!

[@MichaelJenkins910]

Thank you so much. I was wonder what to do with the lamb I bought for Easter and then this video popped up!

[@MiddleEats]

Ah awesome, I hope you like it!

[@elayjayudny9741]

OMG this looks so delicious. I buy half a dozen legs of lamb at Easter while it’s cheap and freeze it. My favourite lamb dishes are lamb tagine, biryani, and Moughall-style lamb curry. I shall definitely be trying this. Thank you and Happy Easter to you and your wife. Best wishes to you both from Lynette in Aberdeenshire.

[@MiddleEats]

Thank you, excited to hear how it turns out! Half a dozen lamb legs is like a 4 month supply in our house 😁, it's my favourite meat.

[@aydinskitchen3418]

Hi friend please visit my cooking channel and 😊🙏💐

[@kimgrenyer9204]

I made this today and it was ABSOLUTELY worth the time and effort. Just amazing and unique flavours 😍 I’ll definitely try out your other recipes in the future!!

[@ChunksPlace]

Obi, I have made a lot of your dishes but this was absolutely out of this world. You've introduced me to a whole new world of cuisine and my partner and I adore you for it. Keep em coming pal

[@Alexlalpaca]

Here I was thinking "Ok, feeding 10 people, that's doable, something like lamb with rice should do the trick. Let's check middle eats, sure there's a good recipe." First video I see is this one, that was convenient.

[@MiddleEats]

10 people yes, but increase the meat to 3 kg. Enjoy!

[@Alexlalpaca]

@@MiddleEats Oh thanks for sparing me the math! ANd I will!

[@nukeumami5737]

Wow, this dish is so complex and beautiful. Sounds absolutely delicious!

[@Arandomwoman]

That's a beautiful pot and lid. Thank you for sharing this recipe.

[@MiddleEats]

Thanks, it wasn't cheap 😅

[@Arandomwoman]

@@MiddleEats You're welcome. It doesn't look cheap and the design gives it a rarely seen beauty. It looks durable, too. Do you mind if I ask you of the retailer or the merchant from where you purchased it as well as the item's title or name? Thank you for responding and for your channel. I learned of your channel when I searched for falafel and pita bread recipes, and I saw your video for both toum and the chili sauce. I made toum and was very pleased with the result.

[@hollish196]

I LOVE spice mixes. They are. just a joy.

[@overtonesnteatime198]

I love your channel. You speak well and clearly without yelling and your dishes are exquisite. Thank you

[@kristenmoonrise]

Wow this looks amazing! Lots of steps but it looks like the perfect meal for a few guests!

[@saminamiah8741]

Wow this is a BOSS of a recipe.. So many steps. Want to try to make it one day.. looks amazing

[@syllebl0ssom]

wow-WHEE! i'm considering making this for a holiday meal when i have the time and resources. this looks so amazing 🤤

[@Phantagepoint]

🎉🎊CONGRATULATIONS ON 200K!!!!! 🎊🎉

[@MiddleEats]

Thank you so much 😀

[@SnackingTheWorld]

love your videos, so inspiring for my daily cooking!

[@CoolAdam247]

I'm fasting right now and this video tested me to my limits 😋🤤

[@MiddleEats]

Imagine filming it while fasting....

[@touta1006]

I LOVE YOUR CHANNEL AND THE RESPECT FOR USE OF FRESH GROUND SPICES. THANK YOU 4 ALL THE WONDERFUL DELICIOUS RECIPES PRESENTED IN SUCH A BEAUTIFUL WAY. IMAGINE ALL THE HAPPINESS YOU HAVE SPREAD ACROSS THE GLOBE SHARING WITH EVERYONE.❣❣❣

[@IcHamza]

Thanks man.. I needed this recipe

[@georgewashington938]

I will give this recipe a try - thanks

[@Pfsif]

Your presentation is perfect !!!

[@NasreenUS]

Thanks for showing some Yemeni food on your channel, Yemeni is sooo underrated 😅

[@stephensano9156]

What an amazing recipe with multiple spices and two varieties of rice. I so want to make this!

[@mariosrizk]

love itttttttttttt i want to try it thanks allot !!

[@alnofali]

Smashed it great job for you both.

[@revi.talose.8643]

always love seein another video from you guys B)

[@andrewwoodman7709]

I'm going to make this ....just because. Looks spectacular. Thanks !

[@ZuzuGlam]

Can you do a series of cooking basics? Like how to cook really tender lamb, how to make a delicious chicken stock (my go to is your maqlouba chicken stock, its addicting!) common cooking mistakes, how to make variations of flavored rice. I think a lot of us would really benefit from that!

[@secretagent4610]

Wow, that looks beautiful, like a work of art. That's definitely something I'd eat.

[@rawan1047]

My brother, this looks sooooooooooo ggooooooodddddddddd!!!! Coming from a person who eats lamb & rice AT LEAST once a week. Must.try.this

[@TheDiscoMoon]

This looks SO GOOD but very full on to make. Great for a holiday meal for sure. I love it.

[@kerryberger985]

This recipe and video sounds and looks so delicious.

[@Antaios632]

Hey, congratulations on 200K!

[@MiddleEats]

Thanks Ron!

[@lachefderouge]

I recently discovered Zhoug myself. It definitely is a game changer in my dishes. Thank you so much for finding this amazing recipe!! It looks absolutely delicious and I can't wait to try it myself.

[@MiddleEats]

Yes it's pretty fantastic, there is a Red version too which I want to try. Maybe I should do a video on them seperately

[@lachefderouge]

@@MiddleEats Yes Please!

[@nozee77]

@@MiddleEats Please do this!!!

[@robgriffin4801]

Love that trader joes has it, and it doesn't have onions

[@lachefderouge]

@@robgriffin4801 yes... It's actually how I first tried it there!

[@monazaki7227]

Obi... i hope a cookbook is in the works!! An amazing recipe...

[@kathleenkaar6557]

This looks incredible!

[@martinsmout1238]

I am deff trying this for Sunday dinner this week

[@humera121]

You cooked such a mouth watering dish. Thank you. Here are a few tips: I wouldn't have drained the flavoured rice liquid stock. That was loaded with flavor of lamb and chutney, yogurt etc and it was all drained! I would have rather not put extra water into that stock and had cooked the rice until it absorbed all the liquids. And I would have used Sella basmati for this dish, which would have kept every grain separated even after being fully cooked. Also I would have put the potatoes with the raw lamb to cook together and I would reduce the cooking time of lamb, because it will further cook for another hour with rice anyways. In this way my pieces of potatoes and lamb would remain intact and yet fully cooked.

[@aydinskitchen3418]

Hi friend please visit my cooking channel and 😊🙏💐

[@silkytp789]

Man, you make the greatest dishes! I'm starving!

[@johnt3381]

That looks fantastic!

[@noahlaizer7434]

Honestly the channel name is BRILLIANT! I love it lol!

[@yallik154]

Lot of techniques there. Seems like a celebratory kind of dish.

[@nahedhsiraj5556]

Excellent video as usual my friend. Keep up the good work. 👍 Cheers

[@samias.8498]

This looks sooo delicious and satisfying!!!😋😋😋

[@Righthdhsgsvvvs]

the chilli sauce my mom makes different so what she does is small chillis as much as you want 1/3 grinded black pepper and tiny bit of salt and some lemon juice with a bbq its gonna hit its so good with grilled meat

[@canadianasterixgmail]

This is interesting as I prepare a dish called Biryani the same way. One helpful hint is that when you are frying the onions, put some salt in it so that it can get golden sooner as salt absorbs the water in the onions.

[@AM-zc9mq]

Its is pretty much a biryani. But here we also pressure cook it one everything is assembled with basmati rice.

[@zaynabmirza6199]

This looks absolutely delicious. A lot of processes to it though so it would have to be cooked for an occasion in my opinion but will definitely be trying this out!

[@a902l9]

Looks so delicious!

[@shirleyqueen2332]

This will be great in my Rice Multi Cooker Thanks a lots 👌🙏♥️🇺🇸🦅🇲🇺🦤

[@marvinharms1891]

It's like a deconstructed biryani/al kabsa😋👌

[@mubarak9793]

this looks so good,

[@geoffreycanie4609]

I'm going to do it this weekend, inshallah

[@onesixfive]

You do a great service to all middle eastern countries. To watch someone give earnest taste reactions is a delight in a world of phony ‘cooks’ who are just models with spoons in their hands. If you have pure intentions in this world you are immune to all hatred and tainted criticism - and you’ll have 200k (or a million) subs. Excellent video my friend.

[@hardrockfreak1337]

Seems heavily inspired by Biryani. Looks amazing, can't wait to try it.

[@fdama]

Interesting. We call this Surbiyaan in northern Somalia and is one of our favourite rice and meat dishes. But I never realised that it is also a Yemeni dish from just across the sea from Somalia.

[@yemen9222]

Because it is a yemeni dish it was adpoted by somali who lived in Aden

[@borednow]

i am hungry now from just watching this :D craving some now haha

[@noorkhalaasi]

In Bangladesh we call it Kachchi Biriyani (কাচ্চি বিরিয়ানি) and ohh my my!! Its the king of all Biriyani. also It's almost 500+ Years old traditional dish of Old Dhaka, Bangladesh.

[@noorjahandollie]

Mouthwatering...literally,😁😋 Definitely gonna make it YUM!!!

[@jimjiminy5836]

My goodness that looks awesome. Blimey

[@SuperTaymur]

that looks AMAZING , I wanna use this with less fatty meat and in instantpot, any tips on what type of meat to choose and what settings to use on instantpot ? thanks!

[@Hollis_has_questions]

What a fantastic celebratory dish! Despite all the steps it shouldn’t be too difficult - I write out all the steps in order of (1) preparation and (2) addition and finally (3) time needed to cook. (I love lists!) Obi, you always have the best versions of every recipe I’ve looked at … so far. I found mastic for the Musakhan recipe - you said it wasn’t necessary, but since it has a piney flavour, wouldn’t that affect the flavour profile? Besides, I love pine flavour in food, like Retsina!

[@satyr1349]

Looks magnificent!

[@Lunsku]

Salivating at the thought of that braising liquid + yogurt + chili sauce liquid cooked basmati

[@hassaanvault]

Beef Stock has all the goodness and should not be drained at all. Use the stock as much as it is needed to parboil boil it, that way there’s no wastage and the rice texture would be what is required for the dish.

[@amakokitchen4337]

Wow amazing recipe😋😍

[@yahshua1110]

Looks amazing, that's a lot of work but maybe it's worth it?! Thank you for sharing

[@shamimaakthar8669]

Better to grind it using pestle and mortar than the spice blender as it over cooks the spice whilst grinding, also makes the spice blend slightly bitter and less fragrant. Try it and you will notice the difference.

[@Anon_E_Muss]

That's a great tip!

[@carriehazel77]

That looks crazy delicious

[@Ruthybwn]

This looks like the most delicious thing I’ve ever seen 😭

[@ilyab5673]

Hi brother, I couldn’t find if you already made a video about Egyptian hawawshi. Can you make one of you didn’t already?

[@superdark336]

Zhoug is so good, you should try and make Jachnun at some point!

[@salsabila786]

Looks delicious, beef works better when braised for a long time. The stock used for the orange rice shouldn't be wasted, its got a depth of flavour and diluted enough to become a soup.

[@mikiscruf]

Kareem Ramadan!

[@cookiesandbussies1577]

That looks absolutely delicious, but I’m tired from just watching it. I need to find a restaurant that makes this!

[@aydinskitchen3418]

Hi friend please visit my cooking channel and 😊🙏💐

[@au2262]

this is our Eid lunch in Djibouti

[@poornabanerjee]

This is quite similar to the way we cook mutton biryani here in Bengal, with potato, spicy rice in the centre and white rice on top.

[@MrAminBoss]

Bro this is made in Mecca - my grandpa makes it with shrimp and its always SUPER YUMMY

[@gabrielledesouter2804]

Wow 🤩 delicious 😋

[@peachmelba1000]

Don't dump the stock for cooking the second type of rice down the drain. Sure, it will be a bit starchy, but heated in a mug on a cold spring afternoon, it'll beat any Bovril. Waste nothing that isn't waste.

[@Arandomwoman]

I thought the same: don't throw that stock away.

[@peachmelba1000]

@@Arandomwoman Where I live, food is quite expensive. As great as Obi's recipes are, they are dollar intensive.

[@MiddleEats]

After cooking the rice, it will have quite a bit of rice starch. Feel free to drink it, but for me I felt it was too starchy.

[@peachmelba1000]

@@MiddleEats I can imagine a middle ground where some of the stock is used to cook the rice in a rice cooker, which requires less liquid than boiling the rice, and then you're left with a clearer left over quantity of stock. The other possibility is to use the starchy left over stock as a component in a further sauce or stew of some kind, where you'd want some thickening.

[@natviolen4021]

Add the leftover stock to a bowl of cooked noodles, add some herbs, steamed leafy vegetables and a poached egg- and you have a meal.

[@amarsingh122]

love that you show your mistakes! Love your channel and your recipes!!!!!!

[@qfason5836]

wow I used to get zurbian lamb at a mandi place in the uae …looking at the process I think maybe it will be faster to fly to Dubai than make it 😅 amazing tho