[Contents]

1 15-lb. kid or baby lamb

4 cups cooked rice

2 cups chopped pistachio nuts

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1 1/2 cups sultana raisins

1 cup ghee or butter

2 cups sliced onions

3 1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. kizbara (coriander)

1/2 tsp- coarsely ground pepper

1 tsp. candied ginger, ground

Stuffed kid or baby lamb or sheep is so typical of Saudi Arabian food that no feast, whether a royal affair or a family gathering, will be without it. The meat, surrounded by masses of rice and garnished with hard boiled eggs, is presented to the gathering on a huge tray.

The following recipe is adapted to modern cooking devices. It might be cooked most successfully at an outdoor barbecue, although with careful attention and constant basting, the meat can be satisfactorily roasted in the oven. The seasonings which are listed are authentic and all must be used to achieve the correct flavor.

Have butcher prepare kid for roasting. Rinse inside and out. Wipe dry. Rub carcass both inside and out with mixture of 1/2 a cup of the onions and the seasonings. Mix rice with nuts, raisins, 1 1/2 cups onions, and stuff the animal. Sew the opening. Put the stuffed kid in a large pan. Pour melted fat over it and roast in a slow oven until meat is very tender and outside well browned. Baste frequently with pan drippings. Or, roast outdoors on a rotisserie over charcoal for best flavor.


(From Food from the Arab World Marie Karam Khayat and Margaret Clark Keatinge, Khayat's, Beirut 1959)