Emirati Recipe: Meat fried with spices (La-ham nashif)

I haven’t forgotten about Arabic Sundays but they will most likely be few and far in between since I don’t cook as often anymore. This work things just gets in the way of everything!

This is a dish I cooked up months ago but just got around to posting. La-ham nashif or meat fried with spices is a simple one-pot dish (minus the boiling of the lamb) that’s so simple and delicious I can’t wait to make it again!

The word nashif means dry with a little gravy. This is a modern dish which is fairly simple to make, yet its taste and texture belie its simplicity. Usually prepared as an evening meal, it is more popular in the winter months accompanied by bread. It is also a favourite picnic dish at weekends, when the nashif will be packed into a thermal container.

Served with bread, sliced onions and tomatoes, this dish can also be prepared with chicken, truffles, shrimps or deboned tuna.

The spices in this dish include the bezar, turmeric, and ground cardamon:

I had some lamb chunks leftover from the last Arabic recipe (lamb saloona) that I boiled in water for 45 minutes to tenderize:

I chopped up some fresh coriander and garlic:

 Sliced onions were fried in vegetable oil until golden brown:

 When the onion was browned, I added the spices and garlic:

 After a few minutes, I added the lamb and some water to make a thick gravy. Then served it all up over basmati rice:

This was such a simple dish to make, the lamb was so tender, and the spices really brought out the flavors of the meat.

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Previous Emirati recipe posted: Meat Stew (La-Ham Murraq / Saloona)

Up next: Fish Cakes (Sa-mak koufta)

Note: This post is part of my Cooking Local project.

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