Omani Lamb kabouli

For the month of January, we were given Omani cuisine in Walima Cooking club . The lovely lady Arlette had chosen 2 recipes as usual, the savory dish called LAMB KABOULI and a sweet dish called SAKO-a traditional caramelized tapioca sweet.I decided to cook the savory one.
Thanks Arlette for the challenge, loved cooking the Omani kabouli. My family loved this recipe. Infact I made this 2 times this month...first time I cooked this, we couldn't even resist till I could take the pics and it was gone, before I took any snaps of it :) I had to cook this again for the pictures :D Before I go to the recipe, here a an intro to Omani cuisine.

Ted during celebrations, which consists of mashed rice flavored with spices. Another popular festival meal is shuwa, which is meat cooked very slowly (sometimes for up to two days) in an underground clay oven. The meat becomes extremely tender and it is impregnated with spices and herbs before cooking to give it a very distinct taste. Fish is often used in main dishes too, and the king fish is a popular ingredient. Mashuai is a meal comprising whole spit-roasted kingfish served with lemon rice. The rukhal bread is a thin, round bread originally baked over a fire made from palm leaves. It is eaten at any meal, typically served with Omani honey for breakfast or crumbled over curry for dinner. Chicken, fish and mutton are regularly used in dishes Although spices, herbs, onion, garlic and lime are liberally used in traditional Omani cuisine, unlike similar Asian food, it is not hot. Omani cuisine is also distinct from the indigenous foods of other Arab states of the Persian Gulf and even varies within the Sultanate's different regions. There are also significant differences in cuisine between different regions of Oman(Wikipedia).


OMANI LAMB KABOULI

Ingredients:
1 kg lamb legs, pieces with bones,
9 cups/ 2¼ liters of water,
3 small cinnamon sticks,
1 tsp whole cardamom pods,
1 tsp cloves,
1 tsp whole black peppers,
½ cup /125 ml water- extra quantity,
3 medium onions or 375 grams- sliced
4 tbsp ghee,
3 cloves garlic-crushed,
3 tbsp raisins,
1 tin/400 grams canned chickpeas,
4 tablespoons Omani mixed spices,
½ tsp saffron strands,
½ cup rose water,
3 cubes Mutton Bouillon-
if you have lamb stock or chicken stock use 3 cups as part of the above water
2½ cups/500 grams Basmati rice-washed and drained.

For the Omani spice :
2 cloves garlic- chopped,
1 Tbs (15 ml) cumin seeds,
1 Tbs (15 ml) coriander seeds,
1 Tbs (15 ml) cardamom seeds,
2 tsp (10 ml) cayenne pepper,
1/2 tsp (2 ml) ground turmeric and
About 2 Tbs (30 ml) distilled vinegar.

Method:
To make the Omani spice paste-Combine all ingredients in an electric food processor and process until a thick paste is formed, adding more vinegar if necessary. Keep aside.
Put lamb pieces and water in a large pot, bring to boil and remove froth as it appears. Add the cinnamon sticks, and all whole spices. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1½ hours or until the meat becomes tender. Remove lamb pieces, put them in a bowl and set aside. Drain the stock and set aside.
Cook the extra water and onion in a large sauce pan with occasional stirring for 5 minutes or until water is steamed and the onions become tender. Add 2 tablespoons of the ghee (reserve 2 tablespoons) and stir for another 3 minutes or until onions become golden in color. Add garlic, raisins, chickpeas, 1 tablespoon of Omani mixed spices (reserve 3 tablespoons), saffron strands and rose water, stir for 1 minutes then set aside.
In a large pot put 4½ cups of drained stock; add more water if stock is not enough. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of ghee, the remaining 3 tablespoons of Omani mixed spices, the Bouillon cubes and rice. Bring to boil with occasional stirring, cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes or until rice is half cooked, add the boiled lamb pieces on top of the rice, cover and cook on low heat again for another 10-15 minutes or until rice is cooked.
Serve the rice and lamb in plate topped with the onion mixture.