Koucha

Ingredients

Lamb

• 1.5 kglamb shoulder, on the bone, in large pieces
• salt and black pepper

Spice paste

• 2 tbspground turmeric
• 1 tbsppaprika
• 1 tspground caraway
• 1 tspground coriander
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 6garlic cloves, crushed
• 5 tbspolive oil
• salt

Vegetables

• 1 kgpotatoes, in thick wedges
• 4green peppers, halved and seeded
• 2onions, in thick wedges
• 4tomatoes, halved

Liquid

• 300 mlwater
• juice of 1 lemon

Equipment

• a wide shallow clay or earthenware dish

Directions

1. Soak an unglazed clay dish in water for twenty minutes before use. Never put a cold clay dish into a hot oven, since it will crack.
2. Start it in a cold oven and let them heat together. Do not trim the fat off, since it bastes everything below it. Season the pieces well with salt and black pepper. Mix the turmeric, paprika, caraway, coriander and black pepper in a bowl.
3. Add the crushed garlic, the olive oil and a good pinch of salt. Stir it into a thick loose paste. It should be strongly coloured and smell powerfully of turmeric. Rub two thirds of the paste all over the lamb pieces. Work it into every surface with your hands. Cut the potatoes into thick wedges rather than slices. Thin potato disintegrates over two and a half hours.
4. Toss the potatoes, onions and peppers with the remaining paste. Make sure everything is evenly coated in the yellow paste. Now assembling, which is done in layers. Spread the potato wedges across the bottom of the dish. Lay the peppers over them, cut side up. Set the lamb pieces on top of the vegetables. The lamb must sit on top so its fat runs down into everything.
5. Pour the water and lemon juice around the edges rather than over the lamb. The liquid should come about a third of the way up. Put the dish into a cold oven and set it to 180C. Cover it with a lid or with foil pressed tight. Bake it covered for an hour and a half.
6. Take the lid or foil off after an hour and a half. Baste the lamb with the juices in the dish. Return it uncovered for another hour. Baste it again every twenty minutes. The lamb should darken and the potatoes should catch at the edges.
7. Add a little hot water if the dish threatens to dry out. Now judging when the dish is done. Let it rest for ten minutes out of the oven. Bring the whole dish to the table and serve from it. Serve bread alongside to mop up the sauce.

Technique

• Soak an unglazed clay dish and start it in a cold oven, or it will crack.
• Put the lamb on top of the vegetables so its fat bastes everything below.
• Cut the potatoes into thick wedges, since thin slices disintegrate.

Substitutions

• A heavy roasting tin in place of a clay dish.
• Mutton or goat in place of lamb, cooked a little longer.

Variations

• With merguez sausages tucked in among the vegetables.
• With chickpeas added to the dish.
• Made with chicken, cooked for about half the time.

History

Named for the koucha, the baker’s oven; families once carried the dish to the neighbourhood bakery to cook in the falling heat after bread.

Frequently asked questions

What is Koucha?

Koucha is a main from Tunisia: lamb shoulder baked in a clay dish with potatoes, turmeric and peppers. Named for the koucha, the baker’s oven; families once carried the dish to the neighbourhood bakery to cook in the falling heat after bread.

How long does Koucha take to make?

Koucha takes 25 min of preparation and 2 hours 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Koucha?

Yes, within limits. A heavy roasting tin in place of a clay dish. Mutton or goat in place of lamb, cooked a little longer.

What is the most important thing to get right in Koucha?

Soak an unglazed clay dish in water for twenty minutes before use. Never put a cold clay dish into a hot oven, since it will crack.