Description
A flavorful Turkish lamb pilau combining tender lamb neck fillet with fragrant basmati rice, toasted pine nuts, sweet dried apricots, and warming cinnamon. This rustic one-pot dish is simmered to perfection, highlighting a beautiful blend of Middle Eastern spices and fresh mint for a deliciously aromatic meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- small handful pine nuts or flaked almonds
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, halved and sliced
- 2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
- 500g lean lamb neck fillet, cubed
- 250g basmati rice
- 1 lamb or vegetable stock cube
- 12 ready-to-eat dried apricots
- handful fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Toast Nuts: Dry-fry the pine nuts or flaked almonds in a large pan over medium heat until they are lightly toasted and fragrant. Then transfer them to a plate to cool.
- Cook Aromatics: Add the olive oil to the same pan. Fry the sliced onion and broken cinnamon sticks together until the onion starts to turn golden, releasing their aroma.
- Brown the Lamb: Increase the heat and stir in the cubed lamb neck fillet. Fry until the meat changes color and starts to brown, sealing in the juices.
- Add Rice: Tip in the basmati rice and stir continuously, cooking for about 1 minute to lightly toast the grains and coat them with flavors.
- Simmer with Stock and Apricots: Pour in 500ml of boiling water, crumble in the lamb or vegetable stock cube, and add the dried apricots. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid.
- Cook Until Tender: Let the mixture simmer gently for about 12 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the stock has been fully absorbed.
- Finish and Serve: Once cooked, gently toss in the toasted pine nuts (or almonds) and roughly chopped fresh mint leaves. Serve hot as a fragrant and delicious meal.
Notes
- To make a lighter version, substitute lamb with chicken and use chicken stock instead of lamb stock.
- You can replace dried apricots with currants for a different fruity sweetness.
- For slow cooker preparation: fry the nuts and aromatics as above, then add all ingredients except nuts and mint to the slow cooker. Cook on Low for 3-4 hours until rice is tender. Stir in nuts and mint before serving.
- Ensure to cover the pan during simmering to trap steam for perfectly cooked rice.
- Adjust seasoning at the end after cooking to your taste.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Turkish
Keywords: turkish lamb pilau, lamb pilaf, basmati rice lamb recipe, cinnamon lamb pilau, pine nuts pilaf, dried apricot rice
