Bazin

Ingredients

• 500 g barley flour
• 100 g plain flour
• 1.2 litres water, for the dough
• 1.5 tsp salt, for the dough
• 700 g lamb shoulder, cut into 4 cm pieces
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp ground fenugreek
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt, for the sauce
• 200 g cooked chickpeas
• 2 potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 60 ml olive oil
• 800 ml water, for the sauce
• 6 eggs
• 2 lemons, cut into wedges
• Pickled chillies, to serve

Before you cook

• Hard-boil the eggs for 9 minutes, then cool and peel them.
• Mix the barley flour and plain flour together in a bowl.
• Cut the lamb into pieces and pat them dry.

Steps

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
2. Brown the lamb for 6 minutes, turning the pieces so every side colours.
3. Add the chopped onions and cook for 5 minutes, until soft.
4. Stir in the tomato puree, turmeric, paprika, fenugreek, chilli powder, black pepper and the teaspoon of salt.
5. Cook the paste for 2 minutes, stirring, until it darkens and smells toasted.
6. Pour in the 800 ml of water for the sauce.
7. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 50 minutes.
8. Add the potatoes and chickpeas and simmer uncovered for 25 minutes, until the sauce is thick and red and the potatoes are soft.
9. Bring the 1.2 litres of water to a rolling boil in a wide, heavy pot with the remaining salt.
10. Sprinkle a quarter of the flour mixture over the boiling water and let it sink without stirring.
11. Add the rest of the flour in three more additions, letting each one sink before the next goes in.
12. Cover the pot, lower the heat and let the flour cook undisturbed for 15 minutes.
13. Take the pot off the heat and beat the dough hard with a strong wooden spoon.
14. Keep beating for 8 minutes, pressing the dough against the sides of the pot, until it is completely smooth and pulls away in one mass.
15. Wet a deep bowl with cold water and pack the hot dough into it.
16. Turn the bowl out onto a wide platter so the bazin sits as a smooth dome.
17. Ladle the lamb sauce around the base of the dome and let some run over the top.
18. Arrange the lamb, potatoes, chickpeas and peeled eggs around the edge.
19. Set the lemon wedges and pickled chillies alongside, and eat by tearing off pieces of the dome and dipping them in the sauce.