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Lamb with rice and pistachios recipe
- Cuisine: Iraqi
The textures and taste of this traditional rice dish make it a special one with Samira’s family. It is important to dry fry the spices in order to develop the flavours, and she says it will set up the aromas to whet any appetite.
Ingredients
6 lamb chops
1 onion, quartered
1 tomato, diced
½ cup pistachios
½ cup slivered almonds
3 tablespoons oil
½ cup sultanas
2 grated carrots
2 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons cardamon powder
3 cups Basmati rice
Preparation
Soak the rice in water for an hour before using.
Remove skins from pistachios by soaking in boiling water for 5 minutes, which will allow the skins to slip off.
In a large saucepan, place the lamb chops, onion and tomato and cover with water. On a low heat cook until the chops are tender.
Grate the carrots.
Heat the oil in a pan, and add the carrots and sultanas, and cook for about 10 minutes until the sultanas are plump. Drain and save the oil.
When the lamb is cooked, remove from the stock which should be kept. Place the lamb in an oven tray and sprinkle with the combined cumin and cardamom. Bake for 15 minutes to complete the cooking.
Drain the rice and cook in plenty of salted water until it is almost cooked – it should be firm when you squeeze a grain to test. Drain the rice, and return to the saucepan.
Pour over the rice the lamb stock and the oil from the carrots.
Place a tea towel over the pot and cover with a lid, and cook for a further 15 minutes or so until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
To serve the dish, place half of the rice on a large platter. Put the lamb chops on top of the rice and then cover the lamb with the remainder of the rice. Garnish the rice with the carrots which are positioned around the edge of the rice, then the sultanas are layered on top, then the pistachios, and then the almonds until the entire dish is decorated.
Serve with a salad made of finely chopped tomatoes, parsley, coriander, chilli, finely chopped red onion and cucumber.
If you enjoyed this Lamb with rice and pistachios recipe then browse more Iraqi recipes, meat recipes and our most popular hainanese chicken rice recipe.
Iraqi Restaurants
Displaying 5 of 5 Iraqi Restaurants.
| Restaurant | Book Online | Suburb | |
| 1. | Kamel | Albert Park | |
| 2. | Al-Dhiaffah Al-Iraqi | Fairfield | |
| 3. | Babylon Restaurant | Footscray | |
| 4. | Amir Bakery | Brunswick | |
| 5. | Al Khiam Restaurant | Fairfield |
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Spices are generally at their best for up to a month, if stored correctly. Store spices in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. Humidity, light and heat will cause herbs and spices to quickly lose their flavour.
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A vegetarian alternative to lard often used in baking and when basting meat.
