Name: Freekeh with Rice and Lamb (Ris el Freekeh)
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Middle East
Ingredients: 50 grams peeled almonds; 2 teaspoons salt; ½ kilogram ground lamb; 1 teaspoon unsalted butter; 50 grams raw cashews or pine nuts; 1 teaspoon Aleppo spice mix (see recipe); 2 teaspoons (20 grams) clarified butter; ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; Water, for soaking the rice; ½ kilogram freekeh; ½ teaspoon salt; 2 tablespoons clarified butter; 6 to 8 cardamom pods (to taste); 7 cups (1650 milliliters) hot water; 50 grams raw pistachio nuts; ½ teaspoon ground allspice, optional (for the final garnish); 2 cups (350 grams) rice; 6-10 cardamom pods (to taste); 1 cinnamon stick (4 to 5 cm/1½ to 2 inches); 2 bay leaves; 1 onion (220 grams), peeled; ½ kilogram boneless lamb shank pieces

Preparation info

8
servings

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Cuisine of Life

By Center for International Private Enterprise

Published 2019

About

Rice, bulgur, and freekeh are key ingredients in Middle Eastern cuisine. They can accompany stews or be the star of the meal, especially when aromatic samna (clarified butter) is added. This beautiful dish is more complex than its simple name implies, with velvety rice and crunchy nuts complementing the toasty freekeh and heady spiced lamb shanks. It is presented at the table three ways: One dish holds a mixture of freekeh and rice, topped with ground lamb, nuts, and braised lamb pieces; an