Emirati Lamb Khuzi
Glazed roast lamb over basmati rice with chickpea, raisin and potato Hashu.
Preparation: 35 min · Cooking: 2 hr 30 min · Total: 3 hr 5 min · 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1200 g raw bone-in lamb shoulder chunks — Weight includes bone.
- 600 g dry basmati rice
- 2 pinches saffron threads — Split equally between roasting and Hashu infusions.
- toasted almonds, to taste — Unmeasured garnish; no assumed serving weight.
- 50 g raisins, weighed dry before soaking
- 1500 ml fresh cooking water
- 1.5 tbsp Emirati Bezar spice blend — One total: 1 tbsp boil + 1 tsp roast + 0.5 tsp Hashu. Fourfold: 4 tbsp + 4 tsp + 2 tsp.
- 1.5 tsp salt — Two thirds boiling, one third Hashu; no extra rice salt.
- 2 tbsp ghee — Half for roasting, half for Hashu; potato oil is separate.
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 30 ml warm water for roasting saffron
- 25 ml warm water for Hashu saffron
- 5 ml rosewater
- onion, halved for boiling — 1
- large onion, diced for Hashu — 1
- 4 cloves garlic cloves, minced
- cinnamon stick — 1
- whole cardamom pods — 4
- 100 g split yellow chickpeas, cooked and drained — Cooked drained weight, not dry weight; chana dal, not split yellow peas.
- potato, peeled and cubed — 1
- vegetable oil for frying, as needed
- hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved, to taste — Latest confirmed garnish is unmeasured; whites and yolks fully firm.
- 1000 ml strained lamb cooking broth reserved for rice — Derived from initial cooking water, not extra purchased stock; top up a shortfall before measuring.
- additional boiling water, only if needed (optional)
- separate cold soaking water, discarded
Instructions
Prepare allocations, rice and infusions
Split total Bezar into 1 tbsp boiling, 1 tsp roasting and 0.5 tsp Hashu at base yield; fourfold 4 tbsp / 4 tsp / 2 tsp. Split salt 1/0.5 tsp and ghee 1/1 tbsp between their named uses. Rinse and soak rice according to its package, then drain. Soak dry-weighed raisins separately and drain. Divide saffron equally: one pinch in 30 ml roasting water; one in 25 ml water + 5 ml rosewater for Hashu. Keep soaking water separate and discard it.
Prepare potato and cold garnishes
Dice potato into about 1 cm cubes and dry the surface. Fry in separate vegetable oil over medium heat in small batches, turning until golden and fork-tender, about 8–12 minutes as a guide; drain. Keep fully hard-boiled eggs refrigerated until assembly, with toasted almonds ready. Oil for potatoes is not another ghee allowance.
Boil Lamb
Put raw lamb in a suitable pot with the boiling onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, and the boiling portions of Bezar and salt. Add the initial water, 1500 ml at base yield or 6000 ml fourfold. Bring to a boil, skim foam, then cover with an ordinary non-airtight lid. Simmer over medium-low heat about 1.5–2 hours until fork-tender, adding conditional boiling water for coverage if needed. Verify several thick pieces away from bone reach at least 71°C before removing; keep cooked lamb hot above 63°C during the brief rice preparation.
Check lamb after 90 minutes: 5400 seconds
Verify, glaze and roast
Verify several thick lamb pieces away from bone reach 71°C and are fork-tender. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Mix tomato paste, the roasting ghee and Bezar portions, and the roasting saffron infusion. Brush over the cooked lamb and roast about 15–20 minutes until golden; do not rely on colour for internal doneness.
Check roasted lamb: 900 seconds
Cook Rice
Strain broth; measure precisely 1 Liter (top up with separate boiling water if short). Bring to a boil, add soaked and drained rice, cook on high until water sinks, then cover and steam on low for 20 minutes. Keep both saffron infusions out of the rice broth. Check grains are tender with no hard centre; add a small conditional boiling splash and continue if needed.
Check steamed rice: 1200 seconds
Hashu Garnish
Dry-fry Hashu onion without oil. Once caramelized, stir in Hashu ghee, Bezar, and salt allocations, cooked yellow split chickpeas, soaked raisins, and fried potato cubes (fried separately in frying oil). Sauté for 3 minutes, then pour Hashu saffron infusion over it. Caramelize over medium heat, adding tiny water splashes only if the onion sticks. If using previously chilled cooked garnish ingredients, reheat Hashu to 74°C throughout; three minutes alone is not proof.
Assemble & Store
Layer rice, roasted lamb, warm Hashu, halved eggs, and nuts.
Cool rice and stew leftovers safely
Divide leftovers promptly into small shallow containers and refrigerate within 1 hour at or below 4°C. Use within 24 hours. Do not wait for a whole deep pot or tray to reach room temperature.
Tips
- Selected ingredient amounts govern scaling; numbers in the method describe the base batch. Use more comparable pans or cooking batches for large yields, not one deeper pan or multiplied timers. Timers remind you to check readiness and do not certify it.
Common mistakes
- Do not treat a timer or surface colour as proof of cooked centres; inspect the stated texture and temperature where applicable.
Substitutions
- Keep the approved master ingredients and allocations; alternatives may need a different method or quantity. Optional garnishes may be omitted.
Storage
Divide leftovers promptly into small shallow containers and refrigerate within 1 hour at or below 4°C. Use within 24 hours. Do not wait for a whole deep pot or tray to reach room temperature.
Reheating
If reheating, heat only the portion needed, at most once, to 74°C throughout, including solid and bread centres. Stir or turn and thermometer-check several places. Discard reheated leftovers; reheating cannot repair improper storage.
About this recipe
This household Khuzi presents roast lamb over spiced rice with Hashu, chickpeas, raisins and potato, as a platter for sharing rather than a whole-lamb pit roast.
Editorial approval does not establish independent kitchen testing. Check allergens and follow safe food handling.