Fatteh with braised lamb

Crunchy fried Lebanese flatbread is topped with yoghurt, chickpeas, fried eggplant and tender lamb shanks to create a fully-loaded fatteh, perfect for breaking fast.

Credit: May Rizk

• serves

  6

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  40 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 1 kg lamb shanks
• 1 litre stock (chicken, beef or vegetable)
• 1 tsp Lebanese seven spice (see Note)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise
• 3-4 cloves
• 1 x 400 g bag round Lebanese bread (pita)
• 2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
• 1 eggplant, sliced
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for frying
• 1 tsp pomegranate molasses
• ¼  cup ghee
• pine nuts and cashews, to garnish

Yoghurt dressing

• 1 kg traditional or Greek-style yoghurt
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp hulled tahini

Soaking time: overnight

Instructions

1. Add the lamb shanks to a pressure cooker with star anise, Lebanese seven spice mix, cinnamon and cloves. Add stock and enough water to cover and season to taste. If you don't have a pressure cooker you can slow cook the shanks for 12 hours on low or braise on a stovetop for around 1 hour, until soft and tender.

2. Fry pita bread in oil or ghee until crisp, then crush into bite-sized pieces and set aside. Alternatively, brush with oil, butter or ghee and bake in an oven at 180°C for about 10 minutes until toasted and crisp.

3. Place chickpeas in a large saucepan and cover with cold water, bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes or until tender. Check periodically and skim the top of the pot for any impurities that form. Set aside.

4. To make the yogurt dressing, mix all of the ingredients together and set aside until needed.

5. Whisk olive oil and pomegranate molasses together and with a pastry brush, coat the eggplant slices. Fry these in a grill or a fry pan with extra oil as needed. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside until assembly.

6. To assemble, start with your fried Lebanese bread and place a layer in a deep casserole dish, then layer the chickpeas, the eggplant, the yogurt dressing and finally the lamb shanks.

7. Fry a handful of nuts in ghee and pour over the fatteh to serve.

Note

•Lebanese seven spice is a combination of allspice, black pepper, cinnamon, ground cloves, cumin, ground coriander, and white pepper and can be found at select Middle Eastern grocers.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.