Majboos Al Lahm / Mutton Majboos & many celebrations

Alhamdulillah ! Alhamdulillah ! Reached 250 recipes !!!( at last) After so many obstacles and breaks reached this milestone... This is my dream post... there is couple of celebrations attached to it....
yes!!... first belated 7th blog anniversary .... my blog baby is now 7 years old... with the grace of Almighty.. Wish to extend my heartfelt thanks to all my friends and family out there who have been so supportive to me in all these years.. and to my husband who is Maasha Allah very supportive and the driving force behind my blogging... Miss my dear father... he would have been very happy to see me achieving this small milestone..

   And as I am typing this post I remember today (15th Dec) five years back, came to Qatar... five amazing years in this beautiful country.. Shifting from the super fast life in UAE ... loved Qatar for its quietness and calm lifestyle... waking up to the sound of birds chirping in your window ... calm surroundings.. still remember when we first came here there was literally no night life here.. by 9 pm the whole town was quiet with almost all the shops closed.. even in afternoons most shops would be closed... slowly got accustomed to this lifestyle and the Qatar we live now is much different.. so many developments in these five years..

The Souq Waqif

    Describing about Qatar.... there are quite a few landmarks to see... FANAR - Qatar's Islamic Cultural Center.. , Doha Corniche .- the  waterfront which  extends to  several kilometers along Doha bay ..... the Museum of Islamic Arts ... and not to forget the most famous Souq Waqif.. where you get the most amazing spices, traditional garments, handicrafts &souvenirs .....
  Talking about Qatar.. National Day falls on December 18.. and every year I've been wanting to do a special post on that day... but it was never done...  This year In Sha Allah my wish is coming true... and today I am going to share with you the famous Majboos Al Lahm or the Mutton Majboos...

   .. have eaten Mandi quite many times and love it... have heard about Kabsa rice  but had no idea about Majboos until I came to Qatar.... I first had chicken   majboos  at a friends house here.... looking at it resembled like biryani and thought would be hot and spicy... but no it was just full of flavor, yummy and not at all hot and spicy..  both my kids loved it... I liked it a lot coz it was full on flavor... and I liked it for another reason too... my daughter never liked spicy food... everytime I make biryani I cut back on chilli just for her...  But when making Majboos is a different story the rice is not at all spicy and for my liking I add the hot salsa or Salata hara hence problem solved..

   Coming back to  Majboos ... it can be made with Chicken  / Mutton / Fish... and is served with Salata Hara... The Majboos we get from Arabic Kitchens is topped with raisins and chick peas  but at home I don't add it. Chicken Majboos is liked by kids ( In Sha Allah will share the recipe later) unlike Mutton Majboos..which is preferred by adults...

  There is an important ingredient without  which there is no majboos -  Loomi Aswad / Dried Black Lemon( will share its pic soon)... its a common staple in any arabic recipes... it imparts a smoky lemon flavor which lifts the whole dish.  And for making majboos you need a special majboos masala... here in Qatar its is easily available in shops but I like to buy them from exhibitions ... find them more fresh and aromatic...
   Majboos is served with a Middle Eastern Chutney / Salata hara ( recipe here)  and a simple salad with lettuce, cucumbers & tomato.. A simple rice dish to make but always a crowd pleaser.
Off to the recipe now:

You need:

Mutton                                        400gms
Basmati Rice                              2 cups/ 300gms
Olive oil                                      3 tbsp
Clove                                          4 nos
Cinnamon                                   2 " piece
Cardamom                                  3 nos
Bay leaf                                      1 nos
Dried black lemon                      2 nos
Onion (medium)                         1 nos
Ginger Garlic paste                    1 heaped tbsp
Tomato paste                              1/2 tbsp
Curry leaves                               5-6 nos
Majboos Masala                         1 tbsp
Turmeric powder                        1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Preparation:

Wash the rice and soak for 30 minutes.
Cut the mutton into 4  pieces.
Slice the onions. Lightly smash the dried lemons on your kitchen counter to open up the lemon.. this helps to impart the flavor.
Heat the olive oil in  a wide thick bottomed pan. Add the bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and dried black lemon.. fry them for about 30 seconds.
Now add the curry leaves and onions... fry  till the onions become soft and translucent. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for about a minute.
Next add tomato paste , turmeric powder, majboos masala, salt and cook  for a minute again.
Add the mutton pieces and cook for about 5 minutes .
Add about 2 cups of water . bring it to a boil, Cover the pan and cook in simmer for about an hour approx.. till the meat is tender and falls of the bone.
check in between whether there is water in the stock... add a cup of water if there is not.
Remove the meat and the dried lemon from the stock and strain the liquid.
You need 4 cups / 600 ml of liquid to cook the rice. measure the strained liquid and add water for remaining amount.
Pour the liquid back in the pan, check for salt  and bring it to boil.. now add rice , cover and cook in simmer for about 20 minutes, the rice would have absorbed all the liquid and fluff up . Place the mutton pieces and lemon on top.
Cover again and cook for just 10 minutes.
Serve them with Salata Hara and Salad..



NOTE:

1) Always use mutton with bones, I prefer Shanks or the leg . this imparts deep flavors in the stock.
2) If dried lemon is not available substitute it  with little lemon juice
3) If majboos masala is not available you can use curry powder.