We hosted a gathering a while back and our teacher's wife made an Iraqi dish called Qaymeh (No idea how to spell it!). It tastes a bit like kitchro, but it's a lot lighter. I got the recipe from her and tried making it a couple of times (although I cheated a bit!)
Aparently, the spices the each person puts into it are a family secret, and I am told that I am lucky that Umm Zaynab disclosed her spices and quantities to me! I have put my variations in brackets!
A day or 2 before making the dish, soak 1kg of dried chickpeas in water. They should double in size. (I think next time I will use the canned ones)
On the day, put 1kg of meat with bones (half beef,half lamb) and boil it with the chickpeas in plenty of water. (Or pressure cooker it up!) Save the water for water.
Once the meat is cooked, grind/mash the mixture by hand. (I used boneless meat, so I threw the mixture into my Braun mini grinder)
Take the fat from the back of the sheep and cut it into small pieces. In another saucepan, heat some oil and put the fat in. Heat on low heat until the fat dissolves. (I missed this out completely - couldn't bear the thought of touching the rear end of a sheep!)
Chop and fry 4 onions (I blend them with a little water) and fry in oil until yellow. Add 4 tablespoons of tomatoe puree and half a kilo of chopped tomatoes (I blend the tomatoes too!)
Heat until very red.
Add 1 tablespoon each of cardamon powder, cinammon powder, grinded dried lemon (the black things), black pepper and salt. I also add chilli powder, garlic and ginger paste to 'indianify' it.
Mix in the chickpeas/meat mixture and the fat and simmer on hot heat for an hour. If the mixture dries out, add in the water that was used to boil the meat.
I think Iraqis eat it with rice, but it is just as yummy with naan bread or on its own. As you can see, its so yummy, that there was hardly any left to photograph!
