زرب

Instructions

1. 1 In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, baharat, turmeric, cumin, salt, and pepper. Add the lamb and chicken pieces, tossing to coat thoroughly, then marinate for at least one hour at room temperature.
2. 2 Prepare the underground cooking pit by digging a hole about one metre deep and half a metre wide. Build a large fire inside using hardwood and place flat stones directly in the flames to absorb heat for about ninety minutes.
3. 3 Arrange the marinated meat on the upper racks of a zarb metal frame, placing the lamb on the highest rack and the chicken below it so the drippings baste the layers beneath.
4. 4 Place the potatoes, carrots, and onions on a middle rack, seasoning them lightly with salt and baharat. Set a deep tray of rinsed rice mixed with turmeric on the lowest rack to catch all the flavourful drippings from above.
5. 5 Once the stones in the pit are glowing white-hot, carefully lower the assembled zarb frame into the pit using the handles. Work quickly but safely to minimise heat loss during this critical step.
6. 6 Seal the top of the pit with a metal lid, then cover completely with heavy blankets and a thick layer of sand to trap all the heat inside. No steam should escape from any point around the seal.
7. 7 Allow the zarb to cook undisturbed for three hours for the lamb, ensuring slow, even heat penetration. The sealed environment creates intense pressure cooking that makes the meat extraordinarily tender and smoky.
8. 8 Carefully remove the sand, blankets, and lid, then lift the zarb frame from the pit. Arrange the rice on a large communal platter, top with the vegetables and meat, and serve immediately to your guests.