Rice with Mutton

Name: Rice with Mutton (Kidreh)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Cuisine: Palestinian
Ingredients: 1-1.2 kg (2 lb 4 oz-2 lb 11 oz) mutton, cut into chunks; 1 onion, chopped; 2 bay leaves; 2½ tsp salt, plus ¼ tsp for crushing the garlic; 2½ tsp salt, plus ¼ tsp for crushing the garlic; 1½ tsp black pepper; 1 tsp ground allspice; ¼ tsp grated nutmeg; ⅓ tsp ground cardamom; 2 cinnamon sticks; 50 g (2 oz) butter or 2 tbsp clarified butter (samneh), plus extra for greasing; 50 g (2 oz) butter or 2 tbsp clarified butter (samneh), plus extra for greasing; 50 g (2 oz) butter or 2 tbsp clarified butter (samneh), plus extra for greasing; 675 g (3 cups) round-grain rice; 4 garlic cloves; ¼ tsp saffron threads; Plain yoghurt and salad, to serve; Plain yoghurt and salad, to serve

Kidreh

Preparation info

Serves
6

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
2 hr 30

Appears in

Classic Palestinian Cuisine

By Christiane Dabdoub Nasser

Published 2026

About

Traditionally, when a wedding feast was being prepared, the men would gather around to eat from large trays of meat and rice. The following song was sung to them:

Our bread is sufficient, our house is warm

Our sword is perfect!

Eat ye good men of God!

May it do you good.

Originally, kidreh referred to a split-level clay heater formerly used for cooking. Later it came to mean a brass or clay container shaped wide at the bottom with a n

Ingredients

Asia
Palestine
Main course
Wedding/Marriage

Ingredients

Method