Ghozi — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A whole roasted lamb stuffed with fragrant spiced rice, nuts, and raisins, presented as the grand centerpiece of Kuwaiti celebrations. This spectacular feast dish embodies Arabian hospitality at its most generous.

Ingredients

1 whole baby lamb (about 5kg)
4 cups basmati rice
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup pine nuts
3 tbsp baharat spice blend
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp turmeric
4 tbsp ghee
2 onions, diced
Salt and pepper
1 tsp ground cardamom
Fresh herbs for garnish

Instructions

1 Season the whole lamb inside and out with baharat, cinnamon, turmeric, cardamom, salt, pepper, and softened ghee.
2 Cook rice until half-done in salted water. Drain and mix with fried almonds, pine nuts, raisins, and remaining ghee.
3 Stuff the lamb cavity with the seasoned rice mixture. Secure the opening with kitchen twine or skewers.
4 Place stuffed lamb in a large roasting pan. Cover tightly with foil and roast at 160C for 3 hours.
5 Remove foil, increase temperature to 200C, and roast 30 more minutes until the skin is deeply browned and crackling.
6 Present the whole lamb on an enormous platter surrounded by the rice stuffing and garnished with fresh herbs and extra nuts.

Did You Know?

At traditional Kuwaiti weddings, the size and quality of the ghozi is taken as a direct measure of the host family's generosity and status.