Madfoon — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Lamb slow-cooked until meltingly tender, buried under a mound of fragrant spiced rice perfumed with whole spices and dried limes. This grand Saudi dish is the centerpiece of festive tables.

Ingredients

1.5kg lamb shoulder, bone-in
3 cups basmati rice, soaked
2 large onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
3 dried limes, pierced
4 cardamom pods
2 cinnamon sticks
4 cloves
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp baharat
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp ghee
4 cups water
Toasted pine nuts and almonds
Fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

1 Season the lamb with baharat, turmeric, salt, and crushed garlic. Sear in ghee in a large pot for 5 minutes until browned all over.
2 Add sliced onions, dried limes, cardamom, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. Pour in water and bring to a boil.
3 Reduce heat, cover tightly, and simmer for 1.5 hours until the lamb is extremely tender and the broth is richly flavored.
4 Remove the lamb carefully. Strain the broth and measure 4 cups. Add the drained soaked rice to the pot with the measured broth.
5 Place the lamb on top of the rice, cover tightly with foil and lid, and cook on the lowest heat for 20 minutes until rice is fluffy.
6 Invert the pot onto a large platter so the rice forms a dome with the lamb hidden inside. Garnish with toasted nuts and parsley.

Did You Know?

The name madfoon means "buried" because the lamb is hidden under the rice, only revealed when the platter is served and the mound is broken open.