Pilaf

Ingredients

• 150 ml cooking oil
• 1 kg long grain rice
• 1.5 kg meat (lamb or any other kind)
• 500 g onions
• 500 g carrots
• 2 tbsp salt
• 5 garlic cloves
• raisins
• cardamom
• paprika
• coriander
• cinnamon
• cumin
• turmeric
• 1000 ml water
• tomato paste

Method

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot (a cauldron or large casserole) to 180°C. Char a halved onion in the oil until blackened — this burnished surface seasons the fat and deepens the overall flavour through aromatic-vegetables|Maillard reaction. Discard it. The oil should shimmer and smell toasted.

Add the lamb (or other meat) cut into 3 cm chunks. Don't stir for the first minute; you want hard contact between meat and hot oil so it colours, not steams. Once the surface is deep brown — roughly 8–10 minutes — season with salt. Add the diced onions and carrots. These will soften and release their sugars into the fat, providing sweetness and body. Cook for 3 minutes without moving them much.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook it dry for 1 minute so the paste loses its tinny edge and caramelises slightly. Pour in 1 litre of water. Add the cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and paprika now — whole spices work better than ground here, but if using ground, add them after the liquid to avoid burning. Bring to a boil, then drop the heat to a bare simmer. Cover and cook for 45 minutes until the meat is tender but not falling apart.

Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear — this removes excess starch that would make the grains gluey. Tip it into the pot without stirring. Pour in another 250 ml of water. The liquid should just cover the rice by about a finger's width. Bring back to a boil uncovered, then cover tightly, reduce heat to the absolute minimum, and leave for 45 minutes. After 30 minutes, add the minced garlic and the raisins pressed into the surface — don't stir yet.

When the time is up, check that all liquid has been absorbed by lifting a corner of the lid and looking at the bottom of the pot. You should hear a faint crackling (the rice-cooking|tahdig, or crisp layer). If water remains visible, replace the lid and cook for another 5 minutes. Turn the entire pot upside down onto a serving platter so the rice mould holds shape and the crisp bottom faces up. Serve with middle-eastern-cuisine|fresh herbs and yoghurt on the side.