Need Iftar inspiration? Look no further than Nida Khalaf’a scrumptious Qiddreh recipe.

Qiddreh is a traditional Palestinian dish from Hebron. It is a hearty dish made with lamb, chickpeas, garlic and spiced rice. The dish is typically cooked in a large clay pot or a copper pot (called Qiddreh, hence the name). Qiddreh is often served at special occasions and celebrations, such as weddings and holidays, and is considered a luxurious treat. During Ramadan, Qiddreh is often served at family and friends’ iftar gatherings.

Ingredients for 4-6 people

The lamb:
• 6 large lamb pieces from the shoulder (bone-in) around 1.8-2kg
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• Lamb flavoring and seasoning: 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 5 bay leaves, 5 cardamom pods, 2 cloves whole, a tiny piece of nutmeg, a little piece of cinnamon stick around 1 cm, 5-7 allspice whole, 5 peppercorns, 1 tsp salt (the salt is to be added towards the end)
• 2.5 liters of hot water

The rice:
• 2.5 cups rice (50% long grain, 50% medium grain)
• Rice spices: 1.5 tsp Bharat (or 7 spice), 1.5 tsp turmeric, 1.5 tsp cumin, ½ tsp nutmeg, ½ tsp black pepper, ¾ tsp ground cardamom, 2 ½ tsp salt.
• 1.5 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1.5 tbsp ghee and an additional 1.5 tbsp (to be used towards the end)
• 2.5 heads of peeled garlic (whole garlic cloves)
• 1 can of chickpeas rinsed (540 ml)
• Roasted pine nuts and almonds for garnish

Method:
• In a medium size pot, heat up the 1 tbsp of vegetable oil on high heat, add the lamb chunks and brown on all sides. This process should take about 10 mins; let the lamb pieces cook for around 5 mins on each side.
• Add the lamb seasonings (except for the salt), and let it cook for 2-3 mins. Add the hot water and boil it; the excess lamb fat will rise to the surface. Using a spoon, scrape it off and discard. Repeat this step 2-3 times until your lamb stops discarding excess fat; this process should take around 15 mins. Lower the heat to medium-low and let the lamb cook for 2 hours. An hour and a half into the cooking, add the salt. Note its important to add the salt towards the end as it impacts the tenderness of the meat.
• Once the meat is almost ready, or an hour and a half in, soak the rice in cold water for 30 mins, drain it, and add all the spices to it; mix well to ensure the rice is fully seasoned; the rice should smell very aromatic.
• Once the meat is done, take the meat pieces out, making sure they don’t have any excess onion or spices stuck to them and strain the meat broth as we will be using it later on.
• Roughly clean the meat pot (to get rid of any excess fat attached to the sides), and add the vegetable oil and ghee; add the whole garlic cloves and let it cook on low heat for 10 mins. By slowly cooking the garlic on low heat, you allow the oil to get infused with the garlic flavor fully, so take your time and make sure you don’t brown the garlic; the garlic should be light gold in color. Stir constantly.
• Once the garlic reaches the desired color, add the chickpeas and rice, and let them cook for 5 mins, continually stirring to ensure the rice doesn’t stick. This step will allow all the flavors to come together.
• Add the meat chunks and the 2 liters of the meat broth until the rice/meat mixture is submerged; the water should be 2-3 inches above the rice.
• Let it boil vigorously on high heat for 5 mins; at this point, you should see some rice granular surfacing or popping to the top; once you start seeing that, cover the pot with a lid, lower the temp to low and let it cook for 30-40 mins covered without removing the lid at all.
• Once done, melt the remaining 1.5 tbsp of ghee in a small pan and pour on top; this step is called ‘Tash! طش السمنه’
• Once the Qiddreh is ready, use a flat serving plate, gently take the meat chunks and place them in a separate plate, ladle all the rice onto the serving plate, place the meat chunks on top, garnish with the nuts and serve with cucumber mint and yogurt salad and an Arabic salad (salata falahieh). To make the cucumber yogurt salad, cut 2 small cucumbers into small cubes, and mix with 2 cups of yogurt, 1 minced garlic clove (or less, depending on your preference), ½ tsp of salt, and ½ tsp dried mint.

Sahtain and Bon Appetit!