My family always gives me grief about how often I make Middle Eastern dishes for family dinners. Or, as they usually say, “Middle Eastern inspired” dishes. Hmph! I don’t think I make that many Middle Eastern dishes. Though….I just remembered….I do have an entire Middle Eastern recipes collection on my blog! Well, there’s a good reason for it! I love food with big flavours and Middle Eastern food is loaded with flavour. And I love that most of the spices are everyday ones that I always have in my pantry – like cumin, coriander, cinnamon, paprika and cardamon, to name a few. Lamb is probably the most popular protein in Middle Eastern cuisine. The aromatic spices of the Middle East pair perfectly with the strong flavours of lamb. I’ve never actually come across a shredded Middle Eastern lamb recipe before, and that puzzles me. Because this is really scrumptious. I mean, REALLY scrumptious. Look at the gorgeous caramelisation on the lamb! Can you imagine the taste of the pan fried crispy edges, the heady exotic spices and the juicy lamb??
Though this recipe is a “from scratch” creation so it’s not an authentic recipe (as far as I know), the ingredients I use are drawn from classic Middle Eastern recipes. The preparation of the lamb is super fast, around 10 minutes to get it into the oven. I’ve also provided directions to make this in a slow cooker. Don’t skip the browning step!! It is key!! It really makes all the difference, so please, please, please do not skip it! – Nagi x
PS I know I’ve talked a lot about the lamb and not much about the rice….here’s a nice close up of it! It is so much yummier than just plain rice. It’s got just a touch of spices, not too much because otherwise the flavour is too similar to the lamb. 🙂
