Bazin (Libyan Barley Dough with Lamb and Tomato Stew)

About This Recipe

Bazin is the most distinctive of all Libyan dishes — a deeply traditional preparation that defines the cuisine of Tripoli, Benghazi and the Libyan countryside, and the centerpiece of every important family gathering, wedding, and religious holiday. The dish is constructed in two parts: at its heart sits a large dome of bazin dough, made by cooking barley flour with boiling water and salt into a stiff, almost clay-like paste, then beating it furiously with a wooden stick until smooth and almost rubbery. This pale-grey dome is placed in the center of a wide platter, and around it is ladled a deep red, intensely spiced stew of lamb on the bone, potatoes, chickpeas, eggs hard-boiled in the same sauce, and a generous spoon of Libyan hararat spice mix — heavy on turmeric, cumin and dried chilli. To eat bazin, diners gather around the single platter, tear small balls of the dough with the right hand, press them into the sauce until soaked, top with a piece of lamb or potato, and pop into the mouth. The texture is initially strange to outsiders — the dough is dense and chewy, almost like a savory unsweetened mochi — but within a few bites the genius reveals itself: the bazin acts like an edible spoon that absorbs every drop of the powerful sauce, and the combination of starch, fat, spice and meat is profoundly satisfying. It is the original communal feast of the Sahara.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 500 gbarley flour (or 60% barley flour and 40% whole wheat flour as substitute)
• 1 tspsalt (for the dough)
• 1 kgbone-in lamb shoulder or shank, cut into chunks
• 2 largeonions, finely chopped
• 4 tbsptomato paste
• 3 tbspLibyan hararat spice mix (or substitute: 1 tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp turmeric, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp coriander, 1 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp cinnamon)
• 2 tspground dried chilli or cayenne (Libyan bazin is hot)
• 4 mediumpotatoes, peeled and halved
• 1 can(400 g) chickpeas, drained
• 6eggs (hard-boiled in the last 15 minutes of stewing)
• olive oil, sea salt, and lemon wedges to serve

Instructions

1. 1

   Brown the lamb

   Pat the lamb pieces dry. Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a large heavy pot over high heat. Brown the lamb in batches, 4 minutes per side until deeply caramelized. Don't crowd the pot. Transfer to a plate.

2. 2

   Build the stew base

   Reduce heat to medium. Add the chopped onions to the same pot and cook 10 minutes until softened and golden. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 2 minutes until darkened. Add the hararat spice mix and chilli and toast 60 seconds until intensely fragrant.

3. 3

   Simmer the lamb

   Return the lamb and any juices to the pot. Add 1.5 litres water, 2 tsp salt, and bring to a boil. Skim foam, then reduce to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook 60 minutes. The lamb should be becoming tender; the broth should be a deep brick-red.

   Skim the surface fat partway through and reserve — you'll drizzle some over the dough at serving.

4. 4

   Add potatoes and chickpeas

   Add the halved potatoes and chickpeas to the pot. Simmer uncovered 25 more minutes, or until potatoes are fork-tender and the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly. Taste for salt and chilli — bazin sauce should be assertively spiced.

5. 5

   Hard-boil the eggs in the sauce

   Carefully lower the whole raw eggs into the simmering stew. Cook 12 minutes. Lift out and peel. The eggs will have absorbed some color from the sauce — a hallmark of bazin.

6. 6

   Make the bazin dough

   While the stew finishes, bring 600 ml water to a rolling boil in a heavy pot with 1 tsp salt. Reduce heat to low. Pour in the barley flour all at once and stir vigorously with a strong wooden spoon — it will form a stiff mass almost immediately. Keep stirring and beating for 4–5 minutes; the dough should become smooth, glossy, and pull away from the sides of the pot.

7. 7

   Shape the dome

   Wet your hands with cold water. Working quickly while the dough is still hot, gather it into a ball and shape into a smooth dome about 15 cm across. Place dome-side-up in the centre of a deep, wide serving platter. The dough must be served hot.

8. 8

   Assemble and serve

   Ladle the stew generously around (not over) the bazin dome — lamb, potatoes, chickpeas all visible. Tuck the halved eggs into the sauce around the dome. Drizzle a tablespoon of the reserved fat over the top of the dome. Carry to the table and serve communal-style: diners tear small pieces of the dough, dip in the sauce, top with meat, and eat with the right hand. Lemon wedges on the side.

Variations

• •

  Bazin abyad (white bazin) — vegetarian version with no meat, just chickpeas, potatoes and eggs in a turmeric-heavy sauce.

• •

  Replace half the lamb with bone-in chicken for a lighter family version.

• •

  Add 100 g of dried apricots to the stew for a sweeter southern Libyan version.

• •

  Use buckwheat flour for a gluten-free approximation (texture will be slightly different).

Storage

Stew refrigerates 4 days; reheat gently. Bazin dough does not store well — it hardens irreparably. Make fresh dough each time; the stew is delicious the next day as a sauce for couscous or with bread. Freezes (stew only) 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions