Quzi (Iraqi Lamb over Rice) is a traditional Iraqi recipe for a dish of slow-cooked lamb shanks served on a bed of basmati rice with a parsley, almond and raisin garnish. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Iraqi version of: Iraqi Lamb over Rice (Quzi).
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Quzi (also spelled quozii/koozy) is a classic Iraqi dish of lamb served on a bed of yellow rice and garnished with crunch almond and raisins. An Iraqi national dish for celebrations and gatherings.
Ingredients:
For the Lamb:
6 Lamb shanks, bone-in, (or lamb shoulder cut into smaller pieces) (about 2kg)
3 cinnamon sticks
6 whole green cardamom pods
3 Bay leaves
8 whole cloves
8 whole allspice berries
8 whole black peppercorns
2 tsp salt
For the Rice:
800g basmati rice
1.5l lamb stock
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp ground turmeric
For the Garnish:
90g slivered almonds
1 tbsp vegetable oil
80g raisins or sultanas
7g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Method:
For the Lamb: Start by washing the lamb and rubbing it with salt. Wash off the salt and place in a large pan on the stove and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then cook 10 minutes skimming off any foam that rises to the surface.
Once all the foam has been skimmed off, add the whole spices and salt, cover the pan and cook at a low rolling boil for 1-2 hours. Check the water level periodically and add more boiling water as needed to ensure the lamb is fully covered.
If you are using a full lamb shoulder, you will need to rotate it (since it won't fit fully in an average sized pan; though you could use a lidded roasting tin) and this will effectively double the cooking time.
If you are using a pressure cooker, place the lamb in the pressure cooker (or instant pot) and cover with water. Boil for 10 minutes, skim off the foam, then add the salt and whole spices. Pressure cook for 45 minutes.
For either method, ensure the lamb is tender before moving to the next step. It will continue to roast so it doesn't need to be falling off the bone, but sufficiently tender.
Remove the lamb from the cooking pot then transfer to an oven safe dish. Strain the stock free of the whole spices and set aside. Add 2 ladlefuls of this stock to the base of the oven dish with the lamb.
At this point, if you want a more seasoned tasting lamb, rub it with your favourite spice blend such as bahrat (seven-spice) blend.
Cover the lamb tightly with foil and roast it in the oven at 200°C for 2-3 hours until it is falling off the bone tender. Be sure to check it with a fork. During the last 10 minutes, remove the foil and grill the top to get some colour.
For the Rice: Wash the rice thoroughly until the water runs clear and drain it. You can adjust the amount of rice as long as you maintain a 1:1.5 volumetric ratio of rice:liquid. You will also need to adjust the salt levels.
In a pan, add the required amount of reserved lamb stock (1.5l) along with the salt, oil and turmeric. Taste the stock to ensure it tastes clearly salty.
Add the rice to the pan, mix with the stock then bring to a rolling boil over medium heat. Once it's boiled for for 3 minutes, cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and continue cooking for 20 minutes undisturbed.
After 20 minutes, turn off the heat and let the rice mixture steam for a further 10 minutes. At the end of this time, remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.
For the Garnish: Finely chop the parsley. Fry the almonds with the oil, stirring constantly because they burn easily. Once golden brown, remove from the pan and set aside in a bowl. Using the oil left over in the pan add the raisins and toast them for a few minutes until they're soft.
To assemble: Start by arranging the rice on a large serving dish, then top with the lamb shanks. Sprinkle the almonds, raisins and parsley on top. Serve with a stew or salad.
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