KEŞKEK

WHEAT PILAF WITH LAMB CUBES

Don't let the appearance of this pilaf you down. It tastes incredibly delicious with a bowl of colorful salad.

Serves: 4-6.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of wheat
• 1/3 cup of chickpeas
• 1 lb of lamb cubes ( or beef cubes )
• 1 large onion
• 3 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 tbsp of red pepper paste
• 1 tsp of tomato paste
• 1+1/2 tsp of ground cumin
• 1/3 tsp of black pepper
• salt

Soak the wheat with 6 cups of cold water and the chickpeas with 2 cups of cold water overnight.

Next day, wash lamb cubes. Take them in a pressure cooker and add 3 cups of cold water. Bring it to the boil. You will see some foam on the surface when it starts to boil. Take them all with a spoon and discard. Drain the chickpeas and add them into the pressure cooker. Close the lid of pressure cooker and turn the heat down to low. Cook the meat for 15 minutes at low heat. Take the pressure cooker and let it cool. Open the lid when it is cool enough and take the lamp cubes and chickpeas out in a plate leaving meat broth in the pressure cooker.
Drain wheat and add them into the meat broth. Cut the onion into halves and slice them both thinly. Add it into the pressure cooker with tomato paste, red pepper paste, black pepper . Stir and bring it to the boil. Close the lid and turn the heat down to low. Cook it for 45 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the pressure cooker cool down and open the lid. Wheat will absorb most of of the meat broth and should look mushy.

Take boiled meat and 3 tbsp of olive oil in a pan and fry it for 5 minute over medium heat . Turn the heat off . Add lightly fried lamb and chickpeas into keskek with ground cumin and salt. Stir and close the lid and let it rest at least for 30 minutes before serving. This way wheat continue to absorb the liquid.