Lamb pilaf
A great way to use up a little leftover lamb, this lamb pilaf is full of flavor and a wonderfully comforting dish.
Servings: 2 -3
Calories: 574kcal
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Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice soaked and rinsed at least 3 times, ideally over a couple hours
- 7 oz lamb shoulder meat leftover or fresh (trimmed weight) - leg also fine
- 1 onion med-large (1 onion giving approx 2 cups once chopped)
- 1 carrot large (1 carrot giving approx 1 cup grated)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil plus some pieces of lamb fat to render, if possible, or around ½ tablespoon more oil
- 1 clove garlic crushed or finely chopped
- ½ tablespoon ground cumin
- ½ tablespoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves or allspice
- 2 cups water hot
- ¼ teaspoon salt approx
- ¼ cup raisins
Instructions
- As above, do soak and rinse the rice a number of times before starting the dish - this helps to stop the rice clumping in the finished dish.
- Dice the lamb small, approx ⅓in/1cm cubes, peel and slice the onion and peel and coarsely grate the carrot.
- Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat and add the lamb fat to render the fat - basically cook it and press it gently to release liquid fat. Remove the leftover pieces of fat.
- Add the chunks of lamb if not already cooked or if pink and brown all over - will only take a minute - then remove and set aside.
- Next, add the onion and soften, stirring regularly, around 5 minutes.
- Add the carrot and garlic, mix and cook for another minute then add the spices and lamb and mix well.
- Layer the drained rice over the top of the lamb mixture and flatten then carefully pour over the water and sprinkle the salt on top.
- Reduce the heat slightly and cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and allow the rice to steam.
- Once the water is no longer over the top of the rice, after around 10 minutes, use the handle of a wooden spoon to gently poke a few holes in the rice to help it steam evenly. Cover again and steam for another 10-15 minutes until the rice on the top when you test it is just cooked.
- Add the raisins, mix everything together and serve.
Video
Notes
If the lid you use is not particularly tight fitting then I recommend you place a clean dish cloth on the inside around the lid to help with holding the steam inside the pot as the rice cooks.
Nutrition
Calories: 574kcal | Carbohydrates: 97g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 379mg | Potassium: 661mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 5120IU | Vitamin C: 9.9mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 3.7mg