Turkish Braised Lamb (Tas Kebap)

UmmBinat's Note:

Pretty tasty. Good with Turkish Wedding Pilaf (Dugun Pilav), A white basmati rice dish with pine nuts. From The Complete Middle East Cookbook by Tess Mallos

• Total Time: 2 hrs
• Prep Time: 0 mins
• Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 3

• ½ kg bonless stewing lamb
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion , finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove , minced
• ¼ cup chopped sweet pepper (red, orange, yellow, or green) (optional)
• ½ cup canned tomatoes, pureed or ¾ cup chopped pealed tomato
• ¾ cup water
• ½ teaspoon baharat, spice mix Baharat Spice Blend or ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• ¼ cup chopped parsley

Directions:

1. Trim and cut meat into 2 cm (3/4 inch) cubes.
2. Heat 1/2 the olive oil in a heavy pan and brown meat quickly on each side.
3. Transfer to a plate.
4. Add remaining olive oil, onion, garlic and sweet pepper.
5. Fry gently until onion is transparent.
6. Add tomato and water.
7. Stir well, and add bahrat or allspice, salt and pepper to taste and most of the parsley.
8. Return lamb to pan, cover and simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours or until lamb is tender and sauce is thickened.
9. Very good on a bed of Turkish Wedding Pilaf (Dugun Pilav).
10. Sprinkle hot meat with reserved chopped parsly before serving.

Reviews

[IngridH]

This was a really good stew! I used lamb shoulder chops, which I took off the bone and cut into small pieces. I used allspice in place of the bahrat, although I think I may try the spice mix next time. Based on the link posted for the spice mix, I added a bit of paprika and cayenne. I only needed to cook for an hour and 10 minutes, my lamb was perfectly tender and the sauce had thickened a bit by that time. It could have reduced a little more, but the flavors were calling my name at that point, so I served it as it was. I served this over long grain white rice, although I also considered mashed potatoes or egg noodles. I also served the sauce to a non-lamb eater over his pork chop, and he enjoyed the flavors as well. I'm looking forward to enjoying the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Thanks for posting a great recipe!

[JustJanS]

I actualy own this cookbook and thought I'd made every recipe in it I reckoned was a good one! I was wrong. This simple recipe was so very good I can't believe I missed it. I used two tooth which is a little older than lamb but not as old as mutton and is the best flavour for these type of dishes. We had no pinenuts (so couldn't make the suggested rice recipe). Instead, I served this with a middle eastern rice and lentil dish for a fantastic dinner.

[Maya's Mama]

This is a really nice tasting dish. The whole family enjoyed it. I did cook it for longer than recommended (about 2 hours). I also added a package of dried apricots an hour before it was done, i know it's not authentic but it gave the dish a wonderful sweetness. I will be making this again for sure. this would be the perfect dish to toss into the crock pot on a busy day... let it simmer on low all day and come home to a wonderful meal. [made for ramadan tag 2009]