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Madhbi

Stone-cooked lamb

In the hills around Salalah in Dhofar, southern Oman, madhbi is cooked when families head out into the khareef, the green monsoon season: flat stones are heated on a fire until they shimmer, and pieces of lamb or goat are laid straight on them with nothing but salt. The meat sears hard, keeps its juices and picks up a clean, smoky flavour. At home a heavy cast-iron griddle or skillet heated for a long time does the same job. Eat it with flatbread, raw onion, lime and a fresh chilli. The usual mistake is putting the meat on before the stone is hot enough, so it stews in its own juice. Chef's tip: cut the lamb thin enough to cook through quickly, about 1.5 cm, and keep the bones in for the best flavour.

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