Kuwait – Traditional Quozi (Stuffed Lamb With Spicy Rice)

by Fariha Saeed

About the dish

It is basically the most famous dish in Kuwait. People love this dish due to its rich flavor. It is made of soft and juicy lamb with stuffing in it. The stuffing includes vegetables, nuts, dry fruits, rice, special spices, etc. The lamb is served on spicy rice which has a unique taste and aroma. The texture of the lamb is tender, juicy, and soft. The texture of the rice is a soft and little dry so it goes well with juicy lamb. The vegetables inside are a little soft from the outside but crunchy from the inside. The nuts are very soft that melts in your mouth because it cooks for an hour on low heat. The word ”Quozi” is pronounced as ”Ghozi” or ”Ghoozi”.This dish is cooked on burning coal for hours to enhance the flavor of the meat. There are many types of meat you can use:

• Chicken
• beef
• turkey
• pork
• Venison

This dish is served at celebrations like weddings, parties, family get together, etc. People also like to have this dish as lunch or dinner. But it is a bit hard to make. Because first, you have to make the stuffing, Second you have to fill the meat with the stuffing, Third, you have to make the rice, Fourth you have to put all the components together. In some cities of Kuwait, it is cooked in a submerged oven so it has another name ”Madfoon” means BURIED. This is similar to MACHBOOS the national dish of Kuwait. But this dish has chicken in it and Quozi has juicy slow-cooked lamb in it. Whenever someone came to Kuwait he/she has to try it because of its yummy and unique taste.

Ingredients and Cooking

For the lamb

• 1 Lamb leg (With bone)
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 3 Bay leaves
• 2 tsp of salt
• 1 lime (juice)
• 2 tsp of ginger paste

Cooking

Take a large pot of boiling water and add the olive oil and salt to it and give it a stir. Then add the lamb Leg and the most important thing ”do not cut the lamb leg” because if you cut it in pieces then what about the filling. Now boil the meat for 2 minutes after that add the lime juice, ginger paste, and bay leaf to it. stir it and keep it aside.

For the filling

• 2 Carrots (chopped)
• 2 red capsicum (chopped)
• 2 potatoes (chopped)
• 1/2 cups of peas
• 2 tbsp walnuts (crushed)
• 2 tbsp cashew(crushed)
• 2 tbsp raisins
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil

Cooking

Take a pan and add oil, carrots, potatoes, peas, capsicum, and saute it for 10 minutes. Now add walnuts, cashew, raisins and saute it again for 10 minutes. Keep stirring.

Now take out the lamb leg in a plate and make a deep hole in it and add the fillings and close it.

For the rice

• 3 kg Basmati rice
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 2 cardamom
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 3 tbsp ginger powder
• 3 tbsp onion powder
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp turmeric
• 2 cups oil

Cooking

Take a large boiling pot and add the rice to it and let it boil. When the rice is boiled add salt, red chili powder, white pepper, cardamom and stir it and let it cook for 15 more minutes.

Now take a pan and add the oil, cinnamon stick, ginger powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and turmeric and cook for just 2 minutes. After it adds the oil mixture to the rice and stirs well. Now, wait until the water dries. When the water is fully dried take this out in a dish and place the lamb on top of it. Garnish with some almonds, cashew, sliced onions, sliced lemons, and whatever you like. Now preheat the oven for 10 minutes. Now, bake it for 20 minutes.