Spiced Rice with Lamb, Chickpeas, and Garlic

Qidra

Preparation info
  • Serves

    7–8

    • Difficulty

      Easy

Appears in
The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey

By Laila El-Haddad and Maggie Schmitt

Published 2021

  • About

Qidra is a richly spiced, festive rice dish named for the hand-turned clay urn in which it is cooked. In southern Palestine, it is prepared for major occasions such as weddings, birth ceremonies (aqiqa), and funerals. Traditionally it was cooked over slow-burning coals outdoors. In the city, the clay pots are taken to a community oven to be cooked, though few such ovens still remain. To serve, the urn is dramatically cracked open and the fragrant, buttery rice pours out.