450 g (1 lb) basmati rice, washed
and drained
2 Tbsp salt + more to taste
6 Tbsp cooking oil + enough for
shallow-frying
200 g (7 oz) cabbage, cut into small
chunks
2 Tbsp lime juice
400 g (13½ oz) minced lamb or beef
1 large onion, peeled and grated
1 Tbsp chickpea flour
1 large potato, peeled and thinly sliced
2 Tbsp butter, melted
Herbs
50 g (2 oz) dill
50 g (2 oz) tarragon
50 g (2 oz) basil leaves 50 g
Put rice and 2 Tbsp salt in a large bowl. Add enough water to cover,
stir through and leave to soak for at least 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, wash and drain herbs, then finely chop together and set aside.
Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a pan and fry cabbage until lightly browned. Mix in lime
juice and dish out.
Put meat and onion in a mixing bowl. Mix well by hand, adding chickpea
flour and salt to taste. Shape mixture into small balls, then shallow-fry in
hot oil until cooked. Drain on paper towels.
Parboil rice as described on pg 82, then mix drained rice with chopped
herbs and set aside.
Pour 4 Tbsp oil into a medium-large non-stick pot and swirl to coat bottom
evenly, then line with potato slices.
Add rice: keep spooning over the centre so a mound forms inside the pot
and shake the spoon as you go so the grains are loosely stacked.
Scatter fried cabbage all over the top and slopes of the mound and arrange
cooked meatballs on top. Gently stack a second layer of meatballs if there
is not enough room for a single layer, but never push them down forcefully
to fit inside the pot because that will cause the rice grains to stick and
clump together. Rather, cook the extra meatballs separately or save them
for another use.
Wrap pot’s lid with clean cloth before covering, then set pot over medium-
low heat (with flame tamer) or low heat (without flame tamer) for 1 hour
or until rice is cooked and fluffy.
Dish out rice and pour butter over evenly before serving with potato slices
(tadig) on the side.
If meatballs are sticking to your
hands while shaping them, mix
1–2 Tbsp chickpea flour into the
meat mixture before shaping
more.
Fry cabbage in oil until softened
and lightly browned, then mix in
lime juice before switching off heat
to dish out.
Arrange meatballs on top of fried
cabbage and rice. Stack them if
there is not enough room for a
single layer, but never push them
down forcefully.
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