Lham lahlou

Ingredients

Stew

• 1 kglamb shoulder, cut into 4 cm pieces, or 6 lamb neck chops
• 60 gunsalted butter or 2 tbsp smen
• 1 tbspsunflower oil
• 1large onion, grated
• 2cinnamon sticks
• ½ tspground cinnamon
• 1 pinchsalt
• 800 mlwater

Fruit and sweetening

• 300 gprunes, stoned
• 100 ggolden raisins, soaked 20 min in warm water
• 80 gcaster sugar, or to taste
• 2 tbsporange-flower water
• 1 tbsplemon juice

To finish

• 60 gblanched almonds
• 1 tbspbutter, for frying the almonds
• 1 tspground cinnamon, for dusting

Directions

1. Melt the butter with the oil in a wide heavy pot over medium-low heat and turn the lamb pieces in it for 5 minutes, without browning them; this dish stays pale, so no colour at all.
2. Add the grated onion, salt, ground cinnamon and cinnamon sticks and sweat for 8 minutes, until the onion has dissolved into the fat.
3. Pour in the water, bring to a bare simmer, skim carefully, then cover and cook very gently for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the meat is tender enough to give under a spoon.
4. Meanwhile soak the prunes in warm water for 20 minutes if they are firm, and drain the raisins.
5. Fry the almonds in the tablespoon of butter over medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, shaking constantly, until evenly golden, then drain them on paper and reserve.
6. Lift the cooked meat out, add the sugar to the broth and stir until dissolved, then add the prunes and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes so they plump without collapsing.
7. Add the raisins for the last 5 minutes, then return the meat and reduce over medium heat for a further 10 minutes, until the sauce is syrupy enough to coat the back of a spoon.
8. Take the pot off the heat, stir in the orange-flower water and the lemon juice, which stops the sweetness becoming cloying, and rest for 10 minutes.
9. Serve in a shallow dish, scattered with the fried almonds and dusted with cinnamon, with plenty of bread; it is the Ramadan course eaten right after chorba.

Technique

• The name means sweet meat, and it is genuinely a dessert-sweet main course, unusual even within North African cooking. The lemon and orange-flower water at the end are what keep it balanced.
• Never brown the meat. Colour brings roasted flavours that fight the perfumed syrup, and the dish should look pale and glossy.
• The sugar goes in late, once the meat is tender, because sugar in the pot from the start slows the meat from softening and risks catching on the base.

Substitutions

• No prunes: dried apricots or a mix of both are common, and pears poached in the syrup appear in Constantine versions.
• Smen is traditional and gives a deeper, aged-butter note; plain butter is milder and perfectly acceptable.

Variations

• Some households add whole poached pears or quinces alongside the prunes.
• A Tlemcen version scents the syrup with rose water rather than orange-flower water.
• Cooks in the east add a spoonful of honey at the end for extra gloss.

History

A sweet meat dish of Algiers eaten during Ramadan; prunes, raisins and orange-blossom water replace savoury spices entirely, a rarity in North African cooking.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lham lahlou?

Lham lahlou is a main from Algeria: sweet Ramadan dish of lamb, prunes and raisins in orange-blossom syrup. A sweet meat dish of Algiers eaten during Ramadan; prunes, raisins and orange-blossom water replace savoury spices entirely, a rarity in North African cooking.

How long does Lham lahlou take to make?

Lham lahlou takes 20 min of preparation and 1 hr 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Lham lahlou?

Yes, within limits. No prunes: dried apricots or a mix of both are common, and pears poached in the syrup appear in Constantine versions. Smen is traditional and gives a deeper, aged-butter note; plain butter is milder and perfectly acceptable.

What is the most important thing to get right in Lham lahlou?

Never brown the meat. Colour brings roasted flavours that fight the perfumed syrup, and the dish should look pale and glossy.