Lamb Fettah

Lamb Fettah : Beautifully tender, succulent chunks of meat are laid over Egyptian rice which has been cooked in tasty stock. At its base are pieces of crispy bread. These have been soaked in a wonderfully rich gravy which the bread sucks up willingly holding onto its fantastic moisture. This is then covered in the rice. The finishing touch for this wonderful dish is a rich tomato sauce, laced with cumin and garlic which is then drizzled over the meat as its crowning glory.

Lamb Fettah is one of Egypt’s best loved signature dishes.

It’s the dish traditionally served at Eid, the Islamic festival at the end of Ramadan, the month of Fasting. It’s also frequently served at weddings, Aqeeqahs (celebration of the birth of a child) and many other celebrations. It’s such a good dish; bursting with flavour and the perfect centre piece for any feast.

You may find recipes for Lamb Fettah from other Middle Eastern countries which use minced lamb and include chickpeas and aubergine amongst its ingredients. But in Egypt this is how Lamb Fettah is served.

Any of you who are film buffs may be interested to know that Lamb Fettah (made by his mother) was reportedly Omar Sheriff (the well loved Egyptian star of Dr Zhivago, Laurence of Arabia, The Tamarind Tree and so many more)’s favourite food. This comes as no surprise as so many Egyptians, if asked, would have to agree that he’d made the best choice.

There are several key components to Lamb Fettah.

Click on the link to get the recipe.

Possibly the most important element is the meat itself. Spiced Slow-Cooked Lamb is the perfect choice, Beautifully tender lamb, seasoned to perfection.

Click on the link to get the recipe.

The second ingredient needed for a great Lamb Fettah is Egyptian Rice with Shareya

Click on the link to get the recipe.

The finishing touch for Lamb Fettah is the gorgeous tomato sauce which is drizzled over the meat & this is its crowning glory.

How to Prepare Lamb Fettah

This dish is frequently served as the centre piece for celebration meals. It’s generally served on a large serving trays.

First prepare the key components of the dish

You’ll need to start your preparations at least 4 hours before you aim to serve Lamb Fettah. Most of this time will be taken up with the cooking of the meat, so don’t worry this isn’t a great labour intensive recipe.

First, cook the Spiced Slow-Cooked Lamb. As I said start this at least 3-4 hours in advance. You can cook this the day before and just heat it up, which takes the pressure off on the day of hosting. You can even cook the meat the week before and freeze it if you prefer, just take it out the night before to defrost.

Start cooking the Tomato Sauce at least half an hour in advance. Again this can be made the day before in readiness. Or similarly it can be made long in advance and frozen.

Begin cooking the rice 30 minutes to an hour in advance. Once its cooked it will keep hot for up to an hour, if you keep the lid tightly on the pan.

Half an hour in advance, take enough pita bread to cover the surface of the tray and tear it into pieces.

Then turn the oven on to its minimum heat setting and heat the bread for about 10 – 15 minutes. This will encourage the bread to dry out and crisp up.

Now everything is ready to begin

Now that these major components are prepared, you are ready to start constructing your Lamb Fettah.

First the bread and the gorgeous gravy

Spread the dried bread evenly over the serving tray.

So, now it’s time to re-hydrate the dried bread with the help of the gorgeous gravy from the lamb stew / Spiced Slow-Cooked Lamb.

If your stew only has a little gravy, then you’ll need to make up some stock. Do this using stock cubes, and add it to your stew. At the same time add a couple of knobs of butter to ensure the gravy is beautifully rich.

Now, ladle spoonfuls of gravy over the dry bread. The dry bread will happily soak up the liquid like a sponge and hold onto it. This element of the dish is so special, so make sure you have plenty of gravy.

Give the bread a couple of minutes to absorb the meat juices.

Then pile on the steaming hot rice.

Spoon the hot rice over the soaked bread.

• Remember to keep it nice and tidy, presentation means a lot.

Then ladle a little more gravy over the rice too.

Now it’s time to carefully place the pieces of meat onto the rice.

• If this is going to be a sharing platter and eaten directly from the tray then it’s most important to share the meat out equally.

The final touch is the wonderful tomato sauce. I like to add either the juice of a lemon or a tablespoon of white vinegar to this, the acidity accentuates the flavours of the meaty beautifully.

This wonderfully rich tomato sauce is then drizzled over the meat as its crowning glory.

Your delicious Lamb Fettah is now ready to be enjoy.

I really hope you’ll enjoy this recipe, it has so many elements and layers of flavour. Once you’ve tried it you’ll understand why it’s one of Egypt’s favourite dishes.

Let me know how you get on & as always I look forward to seeing your photos.