AI-generated image
Qidra
Qidra: Hebron's rice and lamb slow-cooked with chickpeas, garlic and cumin in a clay pot
Qidra takes its name from the tall copper or clay pot it is cooked in, which in Hebron is sealed and carried to the neighbourhood bakery to cook slowly in the bread oven for Friday lunch, weddings and Eid. The rice is golden with turmeric and cumin, studded with whole garlic cloves and chickpeas, and the lamb underneath turns meltingly tender. At home, a heavy lidded casserole in the oven does the job. Common mistake: lifting the lid to stir, which breaks the rice and lets the steam escape. Chef's tip: soak the rice for 30 minutes and use only as much broth as the recipe says; the sealed pot loses almost nothing.
- Total time
- 180 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (3)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Put 2 ⅝ lb lamb shoulder or neck on the bone, 1.5 litres water, 4 cardamom pods, 2 bay leaves, 1 onion and half of 1 ¼ tsp salt in a pot. Bring to the boil, skim the foam, then cover and simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes, until the meat is nearly tender.
75 minStep 2: Lift out the meat. Strain the broth and measure out 900 ml, topping up with water if needed.
Step 3: Heat the oven to 350°F (300°F fan). Warm 4 tbsp ghee or olive oil in a heavy ovenproof casserole and fry the lamb pieces until browned on all sides.
8 minStep 4: Add 2 heads garlic, 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp ground allspice and ½ tsp ground cardamom and stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
1 minStep 5: Scatter 1 ⅛ lb medium-grain rice and 9 oz cooked chickpeas over the meat, pour in the hot measured broth with the rest of 1 ¼ tsp salt and bring to the boil.
Step 6: Cover tightly (foil under the lid helps) and bake for 50–60 minutes without opening, until the rice is tender and the liquid absorbed.
55 minStep 7: Rest for 10 minutes, then fluff gently and serve with the lamb on top, with yoghurt and a salad.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 720 kcal
- Protein
- 42 g
- Carbs
- 76 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does qidra take?
- About 180 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 150 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of bay leaves?
- Leave it out, or a pinch of dried thyme (it's a background flavour).
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Pork souvlaki
This is a pork recipe. Walk through any Greek town after dark, from Athens to Thessaloniki, and the smell of souvlaki stands drifts down the street; cubes of pork shoulder grilled on thin skewers are the country's favourite cheap supper, eaten standing up or at a plastic-table taverna. At home you marinate the meat in lemon, olive oil, garlic and dried oregano, grill it hard and fast, and pile it on warm pitta with tzatziki, tomato and red onion. Chef's tip: cut the pork into even 2.5 cm cubes and leave a little fat on; lean loin dries out, shoulder stays juicy over high heat.
Greek
Tteokgalbi
Tteokgalbi is rib meat chopped finely, pressed back into neat slabs and grilled, so it's soft enough to eat without struggling with a bone. Two places in South Jeolla claim it: Damyang, the bamboo county, where all-beef patties come with rice steamed in bamboo tubes, and Gwangju's Songjeong district, whose restaurant street near the railway station mixes beef with pork. This home version uses minced beef and pork, seasoned with soy, garlic and pear, then brushed with a soy and honey glaze as it cooks. Serve with rice, lettuce and a few banchan; leftovers are good cold in a lunchbox. Chef's tip: slap the mince against the bowl for a few minutes; it turns sticky and the patties hold together on the grill without any breadcrumbs.
Korean
Char siu
Hanging in long glossy strips in the windows of Guangzhou's siu mei shops, char siu is the roast pork Cantonese families pick up on the way home to put on rice, noodles or into steamed buns. The outside is lacquered, sweet and a little charred at the edges; the inside stays juicy, savoury and faintly scented with five-spice. Shoulder (pork butt) is the cut to use, because its marbling keeps the strips moist through a hot oven. Marinate it overnight in the fridge, roast it the next day and eat it warm with steamed rice and blanched greens, or cold in fried rice and noodle soups. Chef's tip: save the honey for the last ten minutes; brushed on at the start it burns black long before the pork is cooked.
Chinese