Kazan kabob

Ingredients

Meat

• 1.5 kglamb ribs, cut into pieces
• or 1.5 kg lamb on the bone
• 2 teaspoonssalt
• 1 teaspoonblack pepper
• 1 teaspoonground cumin

Potatoes

• 1.5 kgmedium potatoes
• peeled and left whole
• salt, for sprinkling

The kazan

• 200 glamb tail fat, diced
• or 250 ml oil
• 3onions, sliced into rings
• 1 tablespooncumin seed
• black pepper

To finish

• 2onions, sliced very thin
• 1 tablespoonvinegar
• a handful of dill, chopped
• sumac, for scattering

To serve

• non or flatbread
• sliced tomato and cucumber
• green tea

Directions

1. Oil works but the flavour is quite different. That order keeps both properly crisp. Cut the ribs into individual or double bones. Trim off any very hard external fat. Season them with salt, pepper and cumin.
2. Let them sit for twenty minutes at least. Pat them completely dry before frying. Peel the potatoes and leave them whole. Rinse off the surface starch thoroughly. Dry them completely on a clean cloth.
3. Dice the lamb tail fat into small cubes. Put it into the cold kazan or a deep pot. Heat it slowly over a moderate flame. Let the fat run out of the cubes gradually. Give it about twenty minutes of slow work.
4. Lift the crisp pieces out with a slotted spoon. Salt them and set them aside to eat. Get the fat properly hot before they go in. Keep a lid nearby to smother any flare-up. Never put water on a fat fire at any point. Keep children well away from the pot. Cooking the potatoes takes patience. Fry them steadily for about fifteen minutes.
5. Turn them now and then for even colour. They should be deep golden all over. Lift them out and set them aside. Sprinkle them with salt while still hot. Do not crowd the pot at any point.
6. Fry it hard for the first five minutes. Turn the pieces to brown them all over. Take the time to brown it properly. Add the sliced onion rings to the pot. Add the cumin seed and black pepper. Stir them through the fat and the meat. That moisture helps the meat cook through. Cover the pot and lower the heat. Let it cook gently for about forty minutes.
7. Shake the pot now and then to stop sticking. The lamb should be tender to the bone. Take the lid off the pot completely. Return the fried potatoes on top of the meat. Give them about ten minutes uncovered. Slice the remaining onions extremely thin. Toss them with the vinegar and a little salt. Add the chopped dill to the onions.
8. Let them sit while the pot finishes. Serving it is done in layers on a platter. Set the potatoes out on a wide platter first. Lay the lamb pieces over the top of them. Spoon the softened onions over the meat. Pile the vinegared onion salad alongside. Scatter sumac over the whole platter. Serve non or flatbread with it. It keeps two days refrigerated.

Technique

• This is a fried dish rather than a stewed one: no water is added at any point and both meat and potatoes cook in rendered fat throughout, which is what separates it from a lamb stew despite the name saying kabob when nothing is skewered.
• The potatoes are fried first and lifted out, the meat is fried in the same fat, and the potatoes go back in near the end; cooking them together makes both soggy, and whole unpeeled-side potatoes crisp better than cut ones because cutting exposes starch.
• A deep pot of very hot fat is genuinely dangerous: never fill it more than half full, lower food in gently rather than dropping it, keep a lid nearby to smother a flare-up, and never put water on a fat fire.

Substitutions

• Oil works in place of rendered lamb tail fat, though the flavour differs.
• Any lamb on the bone works if ribs are unavailable.

Variations

• The crisp rendered fat pieces, jizza, are salted and eaten separately.
• Some cooks add whole garlic cloves or quince to the pot.
• The vinegared onion and dill salad is a fixed accompaniment.

History

Potatoes and lamb ribs fried in a deep kazan and served in layers.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kazan kabob?

Kazan kabob is a main from Uzbekistan: lamb and potatoes fried crisp in cauldron fat. Potatoes and lamb ribs fried in a deep kazan and served in layers.

How long does Kazan kabob take to make?

Kazan kabob takes 30 minutes of preparation and 1 hour 15 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Kazan kabob?

Yes, within limits. Oil works in place of rendered lamb tail fat, though the flavour differs. Any lamb on the bone works if ribs are unavailable.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kazan kabob?

Lift the crisp pieces out with a slotted spoon. Salt them and set them aside to eat. Get the fat properly hot before they go in. Keep a lid nearby to smother any flare-up. Never put water on a fat fire at any point. Keep children well away from the pot. Cooking the potatoes takes patience. Fry them steadily for about fifteen minutes.