Mastawa — a comforting Bukharian lamb and rice dish gently spiced with turmeric and dill, brightened with orange peel and chickpeas, and enriched with yogurt and garlic.
- 700g Lamb
- 3 Medium Onion
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- 1 large Orange
- 150g Rice
- 500g Natural Yoghurt
- 4 Cloves Crushed Garlic Clove
- 1 tblsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 tablespoon Dried Dill
- 1 tablespoon Black Pepper
- 1 Can Chickpeas
- To taste Salt
Preparation
- Place the meat, cut into pieces, in a large pan with the onions, add the turmeric and enough water to cover, bring to the boil, then cook gently until the meat is very tender and falls off the bones.
- While the meat cooks, cut the orange peel into thin matchsticks, removing as much pith as possible, and leave to soak in a bowl of water.
- When the meat is tender, remove from the pan, and once cool enough, take it off the bones and shred into strips with your hands, then return to the pan.
- Wash the rice and add to the pan with salt to taste. The juices should cover the rice by about 2cm — add more water if needed. Bring back to the boil, reduce to medium, and cook with the lid off, stirring occasionally, until the rice is al dente and the liquid absorbed.
- Stir in the yogurt carefully. Fry the crushed garlic in the oil and add to the dish with the dill, black pepper, chickpeas and extra salt to taste.
- Mix in well, cover the pan with a clean thick cloth and the lid, and leave on low heat for about half an hour to let the flavours absorb. Enjoy with warm naan bread.
