Levantine cuisine · Meat & Kebab

Kwaj

Lamb cubes braised slowly in a clay pot with peppers, tomatoes and onions, without adding any stock at all.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 800 g lamb shoulder (cubed)
• 3 Turkish long peppers
• 4 ripe tomatoes
• 3 onions
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp baharat
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 170 °C top/bottom heat and coat a clay pot or heavy roasting dish with 2 tbsp olive oil.
2. Cut the onions into wedges, the peppers into wide strips and the tomatoes into coarse pieces; just crush the garlic and leave it unpeeled.
3. Mix the lamb cubes with baharat, paprika, salt and pepper and toss thoroughly with the remaining olive oil.
4. Layer meat, vegetables and garlic in the pot, spread the tomato paste over the top layer of tomatoes and seal the pot tightly.
5. Cook in the oven for 90 min. without stirring – the vegetables release enough juice; then remove the lid and reduce uncovered for 15 min. until the sauce is thick.
6. Fold through carefully, sprinkle with chopped parsley and bring to the table in the pot with flatbread or rice.