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Zarb
Zarb: Wadi Rum's Bedouin pit-roast of spiced lamb, chicken and vegetables, made in a sealed oven tray
Visitors to the desert camps of Wadi Rum often watch the zarb come up from the sand at sunset: tiered racks of spiced lamb, chicken, potatoes and onions that have steamed for hours in a pit of embers, then lifted out smoky and falling apart. At home you get close with a deep roasting tin sealed tightly with foil, a long, low oven and a short blast of heat at the end. Serve it on a big platter over rice or with shrak, with yoghurt and a tomato salad. The mistake most people make is leaving gaps in the foil, so the steam escapes and the meat dries. Chef's tip: marinate overnight in the fridge and add a little smoked paprika to the spice mix; it brings back the taste of the pit.
- Total time
- 240 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the spice paste
For the tray
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (7)
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Mix 5 tbsp olive oil, 6 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp baharat (seven-spice mix), 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tbsp salt and 3 tbsp lemon juice into a paste.
5 minStep 2: Slash 3 ⅓ lb lamb shoulder on the bone and 4 chicken legs in a few places and rub about two-thirds of the paste all over, into the cuts. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. Never leave raw meat to marinate at room temperature.
Step 3: Heat the oven to 325°F (275°F fan). Toss 1 ¾ lb potatoes, 3 onions and 3 carrots with the rest of the paste and spread them in a deep roasting tin. Pour in 1 cup water.
Step 4: Set a wire rack over the vegetables (or lay the meat straight on them) and arrange the lamb on it. Cover the tin with two layers of foil and crimp the edges hard all round so no steam can escape.
5 minStep 5: Roast for 2 hours, until the lamb is beginning to soften.
120 minStep 6: Open the foil carefully (hot steam), tuck the chicken legs in beside the lamb, reseal and roast for 1 hour more, until the lamb pulls easily from the bone and the chicken reads 165°F at the thickest part next to the bone, with juices running clear.
60 minStep 7: Remove the foil, turn the oven up to 425°F (400°F fan) and roast for 15–20 minutes, until the skin on the chicken and the edges of the potatoes are browned.
20 minStep 8: Rest for 10 minutes, then pile everything onto a large platter and spoon the tray juices over. Serve with rice or shrak.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 720 kcal
- Protein
- 52 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 43 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does zarb take?
- About 240 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 210 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.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of ground cumin?
- Cumin seeds, toasted and ground.
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