Zurbian

In a cold pan combine the cumin seeds, black peppercorns, green cardamom pods, coriander seeds, cloves and cinnamon.

Turn the heat to medium and toast two to four minutes, stirring often, until you get a strong smell of spices, then pour them out to cool.

Grind the cooled spices to a fine powder in short pulses, in batches.

Mix three tablespoons of the haweij, four teaspoons of salt and two tablespoons of vegetable oil into a paste and rub it over the lamb so every side is evenly coated.

Sear the lamb in a hot oiled pan in batches until evenly browned all over.

Deglaze the pan with a tablespoon of oil instead of liquid, then add the diced onions and tomatoes.

Add the thinly sliced garlic, mix well, and cook over medium heat until the vegetables release their liquid and then begin to fry and caramelise.

Lay the meat in the bottom of the braising dish, spread the caramelised onions, tomatoes and garlic evenly over it, add the bay leaves and pour over the stock.

Stir in the salt and try to submerge all the meat.

Cover with a tight fitting lid and cook in an oven preheated to 180 degrees Celsius for two and a half hours, until the meat is about 90 percent of the way to fall off the bone tender.

For the sahawuq, roughly chop the peppers with their cores removed, the chillies, the green onions, the plum tomato, the coriander and the mint.

Blend all of it with one clove of garlic and half a teaspoon of salt until broken down, liquidy and finely chopped, scraping the sides.

Pour into a fine mesh sieve and drain off enough liquid that the sauce clumps together but is not dry; keep the green liquid.

Return the chopped vegetables to the bowl, pour in the lemon juice and mix well; keep it covered in the fridge because it oxidises.

Peel and slice 750 g of onions about 1 mm thick.

Place them in a cold frying pan or pot, pour over 750 ml of vegetable oil and turn the heat to high.

Once the oil starts to bubble, turn to medium high and stir regularly; in total about 25 minutes of frying to reach the golden colour.

Lift them out with a spider or slotted spoon, drain, and spread them in a single thin layer on paper towels over a wire rack, changing the towels once.

Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and leave to cool and drain as long as possible. Keep the onion oil.

Cut the potatoes into large pieces, thirds for medium potatoes.

Add the potatoes to the pot, cover and return to the oven for 45 minutes.

Boil a pot filled with loads of water and add the bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns, salt and a tablespoon of the onion frying oil.

Add two and a half cups of washed basmati rice and cook it like pasta: five minutes, stirring every ten seconds.

Drain into a colander, picking out the bay leaves and cloves, and set the almost cooked rice aside.

When the potatoes are fork tender, pour all the cooking liquid through a strainer; about a litre of stock.

Whisk 50 g of yoghurt into the stock until mostly dissolved, then add the green liquid from the sahawuq.

Turn the heat to high, add water to have plenty to boil in, and once boiling add one and a half cups of washed basmati rice; set a timer for five minutes.

Steep the saffron in a tablespoon of boiling water, muddle it and let it infuse.

Drain the second rice, which comes out light brown from the stock.

Pull the meat out of the pot, let the potatoes sink to the bottom and place the meat back on top.

Layer on the brown stock rice evenly, then optionally the fried onions, then the white rice evenly.

Pour the saffron liquid randomly over the whole thing.

Lid the dish and return it to the oven for an hour to steam and finish cooking the rice.

Alternatively serve as a mountain of rice and potatoes on a plate covered with the chunks of meat, garnished with fried almonds, crispy onions and parsley.