Qoozi — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A magnificent whole roasted lamb stuffed with fragrant spiced rice, nuts, raisins, and hard-boiled eggs. This grand celebratory dish is the ultimate expression of Bahraini hospitality and generosity.

Ingredients

1 whole lamb leg or shoulder (about 3kg)
500g basmati rice
200g mixed nuts (almonds, cashews, pine nuts)
100g raisins
4 hard-boiled eggs
3 tbsp baharat
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp saffron in 3 tbsp rose water
4 tbsp ghee
2 onions, diced
4 cardamom pods
2 cinnamon sticks
Salt and pepper
Fresh parsley

Instructions

1 Season lamb generously with baharat, turmeric, salt, pepper, and a drizzle of ghee. Marinate for at least 2 hours.
2 Cook rice with cardamom, cinnamon, and saffron-rose water until par-cooked. Fold in toasted nuts and raisins.
3 Stuff the lamb cavity or surround the leg with the rice mixture and halved hard-boiled eggs. Wrap tightly in foil.
4 Roast at 160C for 3 hours until the lamb is fall-apart tender and the internal temperature reaches 85C.
5 Unwrap foil for the last 30 minutes to allow the lamb to develop a deep golden crust.
6 Present on a massive platter with the rice mounded around the lamb, garnished with extra nuts and fresh parsley.

Did You Know?

At Bahraini weddings, qoozi is often served on platters so large that four men are needed to carry them to the banquet.