Yakhnet Bazella wa Jazar – Lamb Stew with Peas and Carrots

This heart-warming stew was all what I could think of at the gym today. It was almost noon when I started exercising, and I didn’t expect to finish before another hour. It wasn’t only freezing outside, but my kitchen was also “cold” with a piece of lamb thawing in a colander.

As soon as I arrived home, I started cooking my favourite yakhne. Prepared the same way like all Lebanese stews with lamb or beef and a choice of vegetables, this stew gains a deep, earthy, and yet bright flavour through the addition of curry powder to the tomato sauce. I find that the savoury and sweet taste of curry brilliantly combines with peas and carrots. That’s one reason for a bag of frozen peas being constantly available in my freezer. Today I didn’t even have to run to the supermarket to buy any carrots. I was lucky to have frozen a few bags of carrot cubes I had prepared myself for times like these.

Sahtein!

Yakhnet Bazella w Jazar - Lamb Stew with peas and carrots

dina bayoud Kohl

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 1 hr 20 mins

Total Time 1 hr 35 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Lebanese

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

  

• 50 ml sunflower oil
• 2 medium onions peeled and coarsely chopped
• 10 small garlic cloves peeled and sliced
• 500 g meat from a leg of lamb or from the shoulder cut into 4 cm cubes
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ litre hot water
• 500 g frozen peas
• 250 g carrots peeled and cubed
• 500 ml tomato sauce
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• 2 teaspoons curry
• 2 heaped tablespoonful tomato paste

Instructions

 

• Heat the oil in a pressure cooker over medium-high heat and sauté the onions and garlic for about 5 minutes, or until wilted and golden, stirring constantly. Add the meat and cinnamon and brown for about 5-10 minutes, stirring often. Then add the hot water, put the lid on, and following the manufacturer’s instructions, cook over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes.
• Combine the frozen vegetables, tomato sauce, tomato paste and spices in a large pot. Carefully open the pressure cooker and pour out the meat with the cooking liquid over the peas and the carrots.
• Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook, covered, for about 20 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked through.
• Simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes until the sauce slightly thickens. Serve hot with ruz mfallfal.

Notes

All images and text © Dina Bayoud Kohl for Dina’s Kitchen