Recipe: The national dish of Kuwait - Machboos Laham (2024)

The meat

• 1 kg lamb
• 2½ l water
• 1 small onion
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 1 tsp peppercorns
• ½ tsp cloves
• 5 pieces cardamom
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground turmeric
• 1 pinch ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground cumin
• salt
• pepper
• ¼ tsp saffron threads
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp oil

The rice

• 1 kg rice basmati
• 2 onions
• 75 g yellow split peas
• 75 g raisins
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp sugar
• ground cloves
• black pepper

• Soak the raisins

• Preheat oven to 200°C (392°F). Cut the lamb into cubes. In a large pot, combine meat cubes with the water, all whole spices, salt and a small onion, quartered.

• Bring to boil. Once water has come to boil remove the froth that has come on top with a spoon. Cover and let cook over medium-low heat for 90 minutes. Meanwhile, make the stuffing.

• In a small saucepan put split peas, cover with water and add 1 tsp of salt. Over medium-high heat bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes, until peas are tender. Drain and set aside.

• Chop the remaining onions and sauté them in oil, until tender and golden brown.

• Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the cooked split peas and drained raisins. Add cinnamon, gloves, salt, sugar and black pepper. Continue to cook for a few more minutes until everything is well combined. Take off from heat and set aside.

• After 90 minutes drain the lamb cubes in a colander that is set over a large bowl. Save the stock and discard of the spices.

• Mix all the ground spices. (Taste the meat to see if it needs more salt.) Rub the dry in-gredients over the meat cubes. Arrange meat on an oven pan.

• Mix 1 tbsp of saffron water with 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp of the meat stock. Drizzle over meat, cover pan with aluminum foil and enter oven for 15 minutes while you prepare the rice.

• Wash and drain the rice several times, until water runs clear from the rice, cover with water and mix with 1 tsp salt.

• Drain rice from water. In a medium non-stick saucepan put rice, pour enough meat stock to cover the rice by 2 cm. Bring to boil over high heat, cover and reduce to medium-low. Cook until rice absorbs all the liquid and is cooked and fluffy – about 15-20 minutes.

• When it is time to serve, fold meat with stuffing and serve over rice. Drizzle with remain-ing saffron water.