Margarita's International Recipes

Iraq

Qouzi ala Timman

Lamb Shanks with Rice


Khouzi ala Timman


This is a slow cooking recipe

Traditional qouzi (also spelled khuzi, khouzi, quzi, guzi and gouzi) consist of a whole lamb stuffed with a mixture of nuts, currants, vegetables, spices and ground lamb and then roasted. Needless to say, it's a dish prepared for special occasions. But Iraqis also make a version of it that consists of lamb shanks simmered in a tomato sauce and served with rice. It's a slow dish to make - the original recipe called for cooking it in 90 minutes but, per the recommendation of an Iraqi friend's mother, I kept mine on the stove for 3 hours - but it's relatively simple and the meat is scrumptious after all that cooking.

In all, we very much enjoyed this dish, but I felt that I probably should have doubled the amount of spices to 2 teaspoons, as the flavor wasn't as bold as I wanted it to be. I served this with saffron rice

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Iraqi Lamb Shanks with Rice

Ingredients

  • 2-6 lamb shanks
  • 1 noomi (dried lime) or 1 strip of lime or lemon rind
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1-2 tsp baharat or garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 15 oz can tomato puree or crushed tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 1 lime or lemon, halved or quartered

Directions

Rinse the lamb shanks. Place in a large saucepan and cover with water. Add lime or lemon rind. Place on the stove over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove any of the foam/scum that forms at the top. Turn down heat to low.

Meanwhile, heat oil over medium-high heat in a saute pan. Add the onion and cook until soft and transparent. Add the baharat and the turmeric and cook for one minute. Add the tomato pure and the raisins, and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring.

Add the tomato mixture to the pot with the lamb shanks and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for an hour. Uncover and continue simmering for at least one more hour. Serve with rice and lemon.


Adapted from Umm Binat's recipe at Food.com


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