Yemenite-Style Spiced Lamb

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Fried onion

1. 1
   Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStovePot
2. 2
   Add the onion and fry for 10 minutes, stirring, until the onion turns golden.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 3
   Add the garlic and fry 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. Add it only after the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells fragrant.

To assemble

1. 4
   Add the lamb pieces and fry 5 minutes, until browned on all sides.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove
2. 5
   Add the hawaij, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, salt and black pepper and stir.
3. 6
   Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and cook 5 minutes.

   Stove
4. 7
   Add the water and bring to a boil.

   Stove
5. 8
   Turn down the heat, cover and simmer 90 minutes, until the meat is very tender.

   ⚙ SimmeringStoveLid

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
6. 9
   Sprinkle the cilantro on top.
7. 10
   Serve the stew with basmati rice.