AI-generated image
Tavë kosi
Baked lamb and rice in yogurt
Elbasan-style baked lamb with rice under a yogurt custard
Elbasan, in central Albania, claims tavë kosi as its own and serves it on Dita e Verës, the spring festival in March, though families across Albania and Kosovo bake it all year. Pieces of lamb on the bone are browned with garlic and a little rice, then covered with a thick custard of tangy yogurt, eggs and a butter-flour roux and baked until puffed and golden on top. Inside, the custard stays soft and slightly sour against the rich meat. A classic slip is using thin, low-fat yogurt, which splits in the oven; use full-fat strained yogurt. Chef's tip: let the yogurt come to room temperature and whisk the warm roux in slowly, so the custard stays smooth.
- Total time
- 135 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the lamb
- 2 ⅝ lb lamb shoulder or neck on the bonein 6 pieces
- 1 ⅜ oz butter
- 4 garlic clovessliced
- 2 ⅞ oz short-grain ricerinsed
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 ¾ cups hot water
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
For the yogurt custard
- 2 ⅛ oz butter
- 2 ⅛ oz plain flour
- 1 ¾ lb full-fat Greek yogurtat room temperature
- 4 eggs
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp salt
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Fresh ingredients (4)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Season 2 ⅝ lb lamb shoulder or neck on the bone with 1 ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp ground black pepper. Melt 1 ⅜ oz butter in a wide ovenproof pan or casserole and brown the lamb on all sides over a medium-high heat, about 10 minutes.
10 minStep 2: Add 4 garlic cloves and 1 tsp dried oregano and cook 1 minute, then pour in 1 ¾ cups hot water. Cover and simmer gently for 50 minutes, until the lamb is almost tender.
50 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 375°F (350°F fan). Scatter 2 ⅞ oz short-grain rice around the lamb and cook for 10 minutes more, until most liquid is absorbed; transfer to a baking dish if your pan is not ovenproof.
10 minStep 4: For the custard, melt 2 ⅛ oz butter, stir in 2 ⅛ oz plain flour and cook 2 minutes over a low heat without browning. Take off the heat and let cool 5 minutes.
7 minStep 5: Whisk 1 ¾ lb full-fat Greek yogurt, 4 eggs, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg and 1 tsp salt together, then whisk in the warm roux little by little until smooth.
Step 6: Pour the custard over the lamb and rice. Bake for 35–40 minutes, until puffed, set in the middle (no wobble) and deep golden on top. The lamb should be tender enough to pull from the bone.
40 minStep 7: Rest 10 minutes before serving so the custard firms. Keep leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheat until piping hot.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 620 kcal
- Protein
- 40 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 40 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tavë kosi take?
- About 135 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 110 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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
Pfälzer SaumagenStuffed pig's stomach
Saumagen is the pride of the Palatinate, served at wine-village festivals and family dinners from the Haardt hills to Ludwigshafen. A cleaned pig's stomach is stuffed with diced pork shoulder, pork sausage meat, potato and carrot seasoned with marjoram and nutmeg, poached slowly, then sliced thick and fried until crusty. The stomach works only as a casing and is ordered from a butcher; if you can't get one, bake the same filling in a covered terrine in a water bath. Serve with sauerkraut and mashed potato. Chef's tip: fill the stomach only three-quarters full, or it bursts as the potatoes swell.
German
Chha goshtLamb in buttermilk gravy
Up in the hill villages of Himachal Pradesh, where flocks are walked to summer pastures, lamb is often cooked in chhaachh, the thin buttermilk left after churning butter. Thickened with a spoonful of gram flour, it makes a pale, gently sour gravy that is milder and lighter than the red curries of the plains, and it is a favourite at dhams, the festive meals of the Kangra and Chamba valleys. Serve it with steamed rice or makki ki roti. Chef's tip: whisk the gram flour into the buttermilk until there are no lumps before it goes near the pot; once it hits the heat, any lumps stay lumps.
Indian