Arabic Style Rice with Meat

[nmchick]

From

 

http://www.recipezaar.com/Arabic-Style-Ric...amb-Meat-201454

 

Arabic Style Rice With Lamb Meat

 

Ingredients

 

* 1 1/2 lbs finely chopped lean lamb or ground lamb

* 2 cups long grain rice (Basmati is excellent)

* 3 tablespoons butter

* 3 1/2 cups boiling chicken broth or boiling water

* 2 teaspoons salt

* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

* 1/2 allspice

* 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

* 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

* 1/4 teaspoon saffron (for color with chicken broth) (optional)

* 1/2 cup pine nuts (pignoli nuts) (optional)

 

Directions

 

 

1 Brown lightly lamb meat in butter.

 

2 Add salt and spices and stir for 2 minutes.

 

3 Add two cups rice, stir and add the 3½ boiling Chicken Broth and mix well.

 

4 Bring to Boil.

 

5 Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until rice is tender and water is absorbed.

 

6 Let cool for ½ hour and put in large serving dish and ready to serve.

 

7 You can serve with natural plain yogurt if desired.

 

8 (optional). In the meantime rice is cooling, saute ½ cup pine nuts (pignoli nuts)in 3-4 tbs. olive oil or vegetable oil until light brown.

 

9. Decorate rice and meat dish with the sauted pine nuts and serve.

 

 

Notes: We used 1 lb ground beef instead of the lamb. One pound was plenty. I've eaten versions with maybe 1/4 meat which were still quite good. We used brown rice also, though it is really not traditonal.

 

Also, I cut the salt in half and used unsalted chicken stock. The dish was still plenty salty. It was great before we added the pinon, but fantastic afterwards. A good "dinner in a dish" to bring to a potluck.

 

Research Question: Wonder how this would be using canned ground meat? Then it'd qualify as a "we have no electricity" food.

[Prickle]

This sounds yummy.

 

I love rice pilau type dishes. I'd probably throw in some raisins too, I love sweet and savory.