Ingredients

• 1 lb of lamb, cut in 1 inch cubes
• 2 cups of long grain white rice (I used basmati rice)
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 2 large carrots, cut in toothpick-sized pieces
• 1 cup dark, seedless raisins
• 1-1 ½ tsp each cinnamon, cumin, coriander, cardamom (I used whole unseeded cardamom)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• salt and black pepper to taste

Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a wok. Add onion and fry until onion is slightly browned. Add meat and continue to fry until meat is browned. Add about 2-3 cups of water, salt and spices, cover and let the meat simmer until it becomes tender (about 1 – 1 1/2 hours). Remove meat from the liquid and set aside. Do not discard the liquid, it will be used for cooking the rice.

Wash rice until the water runs clean. Put rice in a medium pot, add meat juice, salt and enough water to a proportion of 2:1 (2 parts water to 1 part rice). Cook rice until the water is absorbed. Set aside.

While rice is cooking, saute carrots and 1 tsp sugar in about 1/4 cup of oil until carrots are slightly browned and almost tender. Add raisins and continue to cook until they swell up.

Preheat oven to 300 F. In a large oven-proof casserole or serving plate arrange in layers rice then meat and then mix of raisins and carrots (alternatively, you can mix everything). Cover and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. Serve hot.