Print Options:

Fattet Lahmeh – Lamb Fatteh Recipe

Yields1 ServingPrep Time15 minsCook Time1 hr 50 minsTotal Time2 hrs 5 mins

Most Tripoli residents (maybe 90%) eat this meal for breakfast. It is always served on a large dish that is shared by neighbors, relatives, and friends.

TO BOIL THE LAMB
 200 g Lamb cubes (boneless, large pieces)
 ¼ Onions (medium)
 2 ¾ Cardamom (pods)
 ¾ Bay leaves (dried)
 ¼ tsp Salt
  tsp Black pepper
 TO SPICE THE LAMB (after boiling)
 ¼ tsp Salt
  tsp Black pepper
 ¼ tsp Arabic mixed spice (or All Spice)
  tsp Nutmeg (powder)
  tsp Cardamom (powder)
  tsp Cinnamon (powder)
  tsp Cloves (powder)
 ½ tbsp Sunflower oil
FOR THE RICE
 ¼ cup Rice (long grain, e.g. Basmati)
  tsp Salt
 Black pepper (to taste)
  tsp Arabic mixed spice (or All Spice)
  cup Lamb broth (made in recipe)
  tbsp Sunflower oil
FOR THE YOGHURT MIXTURE
 250 g Yoghurt (full fat)
 ½ Garlic cloves
  tsp Salt
 ½ tbsp Lemon juice
  tbsp Sesame seed paste ('Tahini' in Arabic)
FOR THE BREAD
 ½ cup Arabic bread (cut in squares, also called Pita bread)
 ½ Garlic cloves
 ½ tbsp Lemon juice
 Sunflower oil
 Lamb broth (made in recipe)
FOR GARNISH
 Pine seeds (fried)
 Almonds (fried, whole or halved)
 Parsley (chopped)
1

TO BOIL THE LAMB: To boil the lamb and prepare the broth, place the lamb cubes in a pot and cover them with water. Put the heat on high and bring to a boil. You will notice white foam forms on top of the water. Using a net ladle, remove the foam by skimming the top of the water.

2

Add the onion cut in half, cardamom, bay leaves, salt and black pepper, then stir and cover. Let it boil on medium heat until the meat is soft (around 1 hour). Once cooked, put the pot on the side and remove the bay leaves and onions from the broth. Note: If you use a pressure cooker, it takes around 30 minutes to boil the lamb.

3

TO FRY THE BREAD While the lamb is boiling, heat some sunflower oil on high and fry the cut pita bread until it becomes golden brown – keep stirring so it doesn’t burn. Then place the fried bread on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.

4

TO PREPARE THE YOGHURT MIXTURE Simply mix all the listed ingredients together (yoghurt, crushed garlic cloves, salt, lemon juice, tahini).

5

TO SPICE THE LAMB Once the lamb is boiled it needs to be spiced. Put the lamb pieces in a pot (without the broth) and evenly pour over them the sunflower oil followed by all the listed spices (salt, black pepper, Arabic mixed spice, nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves). Cover the pot and set it aside for the lamb to marinate (do not mix the spices in with the lamb or the meat will fall apart). Just set the pot aside for now without cooking it further.

6

Sieve the lamb broth and set it aside to use later.

7

TO COOK THE RICE Mix all the listed ingredients together in a pot using the broth from step 6 (rice, salt, black pepper, Arabic mixed spice, lamb broth, sunflower oil). Cover and bring to a boil on high heat, then put the heat on low until the rice is cooked (about 15-20 minutes). Don’t throw away the leftover broth as you will need it later to soak the pita bread.

8

TO FINISH SPICING THE LAMB While the rice is cooking, put the pot with the spiced lamb pieces on medium heat (keep the pot covered). Once the oil is hot immediately put the heat on low. Now you have to make sure the lamb pieces are properly coated with the spices. To do this, hold the pot by the handles with your thumb on the cover and toss the pot gently a few times. Put the pot back on the stove and let the lamb continue to heat up on low. Alternate between tossing the pot and putting it on the stove until the lamb pieces are hot (careful not to let them burn). Then put the covered pot on the side.

9

TO LAYER THE FATTEH Once the rice is cooked and the lamb pieces are hot, it’s time to layer the fatteh. Start by spreading the fried pita bread in a serving dish. Add crushed garlic and lemon juice, and enough hot lamb broth to dampen the bread, then mix.

10

Now layer the rice on top of the bread followed by the yoghurt mixture.

11

Finally, place the lamb pieces on top of the yoghurt.