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Kabsa

Sarah
Lamb kabsa, maximum flavour, minimal dishes. Juicy lamb, savoury spices, aromatic stock, tomatoes, and rice all together in your pot for a delicious meal to impress.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine Middle Eastern
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

Kabsa Stock:

  • 3-4 lb lamb
  • 1 large onion quartered
  • 3-4 garlic cloves smash or grated
  • 1 fresh tomato quartered
  • 6 sprig of parsley
  • 1 tablespoon Kabsa spice *see notes
  • 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
  • 1 tablespoon whole Allspice
  • 7 cardamon seeds smashed open
  • 6 whole cloves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 dried black limes optional
  • 1-2 bay leaves
  • 2 teaspoon salt
  • water

Kabsa Rice:

  • 1 tablespoon ghee
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion diced
  • 2 garlic cloves thinly sliced
  • 2 tomatoes peeled, deseeded and chopped
  • 1 teaspoon kabsa spice *see notes
  • teaspoon saffron 3 stems
  • 1 and ½ cup Basmati rice washed
  • 1 cup frozen mixed veggies optional

Kabsa Sauce:

  • 3 tablespoon strained tomato passata sauce
  • 1 cup of water
  • 2-3 garlic cloves mashed to a paste
  • ¼ cayenne pepper

Raisin & nut toppings

  • 4 tbsp raisins
  • cup nuts Cashews, almonds, or a mixture of both
  • ¼ cup pinenuts (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon ghee

Instructions
 

Kabsa Stock:

  • Add all of the ingredients into a large stockpot. Fill with enough water cover to completely cover your meat.
  • Bring the stock to a boil, reduce heat and simmer. Cover and simmer for 60 minutes
  • Once the meat is tender, remove the meat, place it into a baking pan. Add a little bit of stock to the pan and with a lid cover or foil. Turn on the oven and heat with warming mode. Place the lamb in the oven until ready to eat.
  • Or, if you want the meat a bit crispy, use the frying pan from the nuts and quickly reheat the lamb in the leftover oil. So the outer edges crisp up, and the lamb is warmed up.
  • Strain the stock with a mesh colander into a large bowl. Toss away the strained leftover ingredients. Measure 3 cups of stock for the rice. Set aside.
  • Any leftover set can be stored and used for other recipes.

Kabsa Rice:

  • Heat a large pot in medium-high, add the ghee and oil. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the onions and garlic. Saute until the onions are starting to become translucent.
  • Stir in spices and tomato. Stir—Cook for 3 minutes for the tomatoes to soften.
  • Add the veggies and rice into the tomato mixture. Stir.
  • Pour the 3 cups of stock over the rice, bring to a slow boil⏤you're looking for bubbles just starting to pick speed, not a full rapid boil.
  • Reduce heat to low, cover and leave it alone for 20 minutes⏤No Peaking!
  • After 20 minutes, remove the lid, gently stir the rice. Cover the pot with a towel and replace the lid. Remove from the heat allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Kabsa Sauce:

  • Meanwhile, the rice is cooking it time to start the kabsa sauce.
  • Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl.
  • Pour the mixture into a small pot—heat on a low high simmer for 20 minutes.
  • After 20 minutes, transfer to a small serving bowl.
  • Note: The kabsa sauce shouldn't be too thick or too thin. You should be able to pour it, yet it still stays on top of the rice.

Nuts & Raisins:

  • Heat a small frying pan on medium heat, add oil or ghee to the pan. Heat until a light simmer appears.
  • Add the nuts. Saute just until they become light brown and stir often. Remove the from the pan quickly, place them on a plate with a piece of paper towel.
  • Once the nuts are finished, add the raisins and heat for 1-3 minutes. They'll start to poof up and soften. Soon as you see that, transfer to the plate with the nuts.
  • Note: this step can be done anything during the cooking process.

Plating the Kabsa:

  • Use a large circular platter. Empty the rice onto the platter by flipping the pot upside down and allow the rice to pour onto the platter⏤this will prevent the rice from breaking.
  • Top the rice with meat, nuts, and raisins.
  • Serve with the kabsa sauce, pickled pepper, & mixed pickles veggies

Notes

Kabsa Spice mix:

1 teaspoon each ground cardamom & ground ginger, 2 teaspoon each of ground allspice & ground cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon ground cloves. Mix everything and use it in this recipe.

How to save on cooking time.

Most of this cooking for this dish dump and forget, but if you're not a bit organized, it might take you longer than it need be. Once you started the rice and covered the pot, start cooking the kabsa sauce, hit your time for 20 minutes, and they'll both be done at the same time. Well, your rice is taking its final rest; transfer the kabsa sauce to a bowl and start your nuts.
Keyword kabseh, kebsa, Khabsa, lamb kabsa, machbus, majboos, majbus, traditional saudi kabsa recipe