Shakriyeh

Ingredients

Lamb

• 1 kglamb shoulder or neck, in large cubes
• 1onion
• 1cinnamon stick
• 3cardamom pods
• 2bay leaves
• 1 tspsalt
• water, to cover

Yoghurt sauce

• 1.5 kgfull-fat plain yoghurt
• 1egg white, or 1 whole egg
• 2 tbspcornflour
• 1 tspsalt

To finish

• 3 clovesgarlic, crushed with salt
• 2 tbspdried mint
• 2 tbspbutter or ghee

To serve

• rice with vermicelli
• toasted pine nuts
• flatbread

Directions

1. Simmer the lamb with the onion, cinnamon, cardamom, bay and salt for about an hour until tender. Skim the broth well as it comes to the boil. Lift the meat out, strain the broth and keep about 300 ml of it. Use full-fat yoghurt, never low-fat.
2. Take it out of the fridge in advance so it is at room temperature. Now whisk the yoghurt with the cornflour, egg white and salt until completely smooth.
3. Whisk out every lump before it goes near heat. Pour it into a heavy pan and set it over a medium-low heat. Now stir it constantly, always in the same direction, until it comes to a boil.
4. Stir without stopping and in one direction only. Use a wooden spoon and keep the spoon moving across the whole base of the pan. Never cover the pan while the yoghurt heats. Let it come to a full boil once, then immediately turn the heat right down. It should now be smooth, thick and glossy.
5. Simmer very gently for 20 minutes so the meat takes up the sauce. Crush the garlic to a paste with salt. Fry it in the butter for less than a minute, then take it off the heat and stir in the dried mint.
6. Add the mint off the heat. Dried mint burns in seconds in hot fat and turns acrid. Stir the garlic and mint butter into the yoghurt sauce.
7. Taste the sauce and adjust the salt. The sauce should be tangy, garlicky and clearly minty, and it should coat a spoon. Serve it ladled over rice cooked with toasted vermicelli, with pine nuts scattered over.

Technique

• The cornflour and egg white together are the belt-and-braces approach; experienced cooks often use one or the other.
• Sheep’s milk yoghurt is traditional and is more stable than cow’s.
• It reheats gently over a low heat and should never be boiled again hard.

Substitutions

• Goat or chicken in place of lamb.
• Full-fat Greek yoghurt, loosened with a little milk.

Variations

• Made with kibbeh balls instead of lamb pieces.
• With courgettes stuffed and cooked in the sauce.
• Labaneyeh, the closely related Damascene version.

History

Lamb simmered in stabilised yoghurt sauce and served over rice, a Damascene home classic.

Frequently asked questions

What is Shakriyeh?

Shakriyeh is a soup & stew from Syria: lamb simmered in warm cooked yogurt, ladled over rice. Lamb simmered in stabilised yoghurt sauce and served over rice, a Damascene home classic.

How long does Shakriyeh take to make?

Shakriyeh takes 20 min of preparation and 1 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Shakriyeh?

Yes, within limits. Goat or chicken in place of lamb. Full-fat Greek yoghurt, loosened with a little milk.

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

Simmer the lamb with the onion, cinnamon, cardamom, bay and salt for about an hour until tender. Skim the broth well as it comes to the boil. Lift the meat out, strain the broth and keep about 300 ml of it. Use full-fat yoghurt, never low-fat.