Description
A warm and savory dish featuring creamy baked yogurt over tender rice and seasoned lamb, perfect for any gathering.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 lbs (about 907 g) lamb, cut into pieces (shoulder or leg recommended)
- 2 cups plain yogurt (whole-milk preferred)
- 4 eggs
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup rice, rinsed (long-grain white rice suggested)
- 2 cups water
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil for cooking
- 1–2 tsp paprika for seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat and sauté the chopped onion until translucent.
- Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add lamb pieces to the pan, season with salt, pepper, and paprika, and brown on all sides.
- Stir in the rinsed rice and cook for another 2–3 minutes.
- Transfer the mixture to a baking dish.
- In a bowl, whisk together yogurt and eggs, then pour over the lamb and rice mixture.
- Add water to the dish to ensure the rice cooks properly, then stir gently to combine.
- Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes, or until the top is golden and set.
- Allow to cool slightly before serving.
Notes
For a vegetarian version, swap lamb for mushrooms and roasted eggplant. Use Greek yogurt for a thicker custard. Let the dish rest for 10–15 minutes after baking for better texture.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Albanian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 615
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 400mg
- Fat: 39g
- Saturated Fat: 13g
- Unsaturated Fat: 24g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 31g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 47g
- Cholesterol: 165mg