Zarb

About This Recipe

Zarb is perhaps the most elemental cooking method still practiced in the Arab world. Bedouin tribes of the Wadi Rum desert developed zarb centuries ago as a way to feed large groups on long journeys. A metal rack of marinated lamb and chicken is lowered into a clay-lined pit dug in the sand alongside a bed of glowing coals. The pit is sealed with sand and left for 2–3 hours. When it is opened, a cloud of aromatic smoke rises, revealing meat that is simultaneously roasted, steamed, and smoked to extraordinary tenderness. Today, zarb is the centrepiece of Bedouin tourism camps in Wadi Rum, but the recipe below is adapted for a covered outdoor grill or a large Dutch oven.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 wholechicken (1.5 kg), spatchcocked
• 800 gbone-in lamb shoulder pieces
• 3 tbspolive oil
• 1 tspallspice
• 1 tspcumin
• 1 tspcoriander
• 1 tspturmeric
• ½ tspcinnamon
• 1 tspsmoked paprika
• 1½ tspsalt
• 5 clovesgarlic, minced
• juice of 1lemon
• 2 mediumonions, quartered
• 2 cupsbasmati rice (to serve beneath the meat)
• 3 cupschicken stock
• handfulfresh parsley and toasted almonds, to serve

Instructions

1. 1

   Marinate the meat

   Combine olive oil, all spices, salt, garlic, and lemon juice into a paste. Rub generously all over the chicken and lamb. Marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.

2. 2

   Prepare the rice base

   In a large Dutch oven or heavy roasting pot, toast the rice in a tablespoon of ghee for 2 minutes. Add hot stock and ½ tsp salt. Arrange onion quarters over the rice.

3. 3

   Layer the meat

   Place a metal rack (or improvised rack of foil balls) over the rice in the pot. Arrange lamb on the rack first, then the spatchcocked chicken on top. The meat drippings will baste the rice as they cook.

4. 4

   Seal and slow-cook

   Seal the pot very tightly with foil and then the lid. Cook in a 180 °C oven for 2.5 hours. For authentic smokiness, place 2 soaked wood chips in a small foil cup, ignite them briefly, and place inside the pot before sealing.

5. 5

   Rest and serve

   Remove from oven and do not open for 20 minutes. Uncover at the table for dramatic effect. Lift meat onto a platter; invert the rice onto a large tray. Arrange meat over rice, scatter with parsley and almonds.

Variations

• •

  Add whole vegetables (potato, carrot, sweet potato) to the rice layer.

• •

  Use only chicken for a quicker cook time of 1.5 hours.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Leftovers keep refrigerated for 3 days. The flavour of the rice deepens overnight.

Frequently Asked Questions