Arabian Lamb and Rice
Ingredients
2.25 pounds lamb
1 brown onion
3 cloves garlic
4 tablespoons coriander leaves (fresh)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 tablespoon cardamon (ground)
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cinnamon stick (or 1 tsp ground cinnamon)
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup white rice
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon oil
3 tablespoons slivered almonds
3 tablespoons currants (or sultanas)
coriander leaves (extra fresh)
Directions
Dice the lamb meat into 2 cm cubes. Peel and slice the onion into quarter rounds. Peel and slice the garlic. Roughly chop the coriander leaves. Add the lamb, onion, garlic and coriander leaves to the bowl of a slow cooker. Sprinkle over the salt, cumin, ground coriander, cardamon, black pepper and cinnamon. Mix well with your hands. Pour over the chicken stock.
Put on the lid and cook on low for 8 hours (or high for 4-5 hours) until the lamb is tender. If possible, stir a couple of times during cooking, but this isn’t crucial if you’re out all day.
At the end of the cooking time, carefully spoon out 1 cup of the cooking liquid and add it to the cup of milk in a medium saucepan. Bring the liquid to a boil. Note: keep a careful eye on the pot because the milk will boil over easily if left unattended. Once boiling, stir in the rice. Let the mixture bubble for a minute, put on a lid and turn down the heat so the rice is just simmering. After 5 minutes turn off the heat but leave the pot on the element. Allow the rice to steam for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Heat the oil in a fry pan over a medium heat. When hot, add the almonds. Stir frequently until the almonds begin to brown. Add the currants or sultanas and cook for another minute. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
To serve, pile the rice onto a large platter and top with the lamb. Sprinkle over the almond and currant topping and garnish liberally with coriander leaves.
