Oven-Slow Lamb Harees with Cumin Ghee

Method

1. Rinse the wheat until the water runs clear, soak it in plenty of cold water for 8 h (overnight), and drain just before cooking.

   Add in this stepHarees wheat (hulled whole wheat berries) 150 g

2. In a 24 cm lidded, ovenproof cast-iron pot, combine the lamb, halved onion, cinnamon stick, lightly crushed cardamom, the dried lime pierced a few times with a knife tip, and the water (keep about a cupful aside). Bring to the boil over medium-high heat, then spend 10 min skimming carefully for a clear broth.

   Add in this stepBone-in lamb (shoulder or neck) 450 gOnion ½Cinnamon stick 1Green cardamom pods 3Dried black lime (loomi) 1Water 1½ L

   medium-high heat

3. Turn down to low heat, cover and simmer for 50 min, until the lamb starts to soften and the broth is fragrant.

   low heat

4. Preheat the oven to 160 °C. Add the drained wheat to the pot, bring back to a bubble, cover tightly and bake for 2 h 45 min. Every 45 minutes take it out and stir right to the bottom, adding some of the reserved water, heated, if it's thick. It's ready when the grains have completely broken down and the lamb falls off the bone. The pot and lid are extremely hot; use thick oven gloves.

   Add in this stepWater ¼ L

   oven

5. Lift out the lamb, remove the bones, gristle and fatty bits and shred the meat finely. Fish out the onion, cinnamon, cardamom and dried lime too (dried lime turns bitter if left in). Return the meat and season with the salt.

   Add in this stepSalt 1 tsp

6. Set the pot on the hob over low heat and beat with a wooden spoon (or potato masher) for 15 min, until the meat fibres bind with the wheat into a smooth texture that stretches in long strands.

   low heat

7. Melt the ghee in a small pan, add the cumin seeds and fry over medium-low heat for 1 min, until they crackle and smell toasty, then take off the heat at once (burnt cumin is bitter). Spoon the harees into bowls, make a hollow in the middle and pour in the cumin ghee.

   Add in this stepGhee 2½ tbspCumin seeds ½ tsp

   medium-low heat