L'ham Lahlou - Algerian / North African Sweet Lamb Dish.

Name: L'ham Lahlou - Algerian / North African Sweet Lamb Dish.
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 8 small(ish) servings, 8 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1133.98 g lamb, cubed; 44.37 ml butter; 2.46 ml ground cinnamon; 709.77 ml water; 59.14 ml sugar; 16 prunes, soaked and drained (ready to eat); 29.58 ml raisins; 29.58 ml almonds; 1 pear, peeled and cubed; 59.14 ml orange juice; 4.92 ml orange blossom water (mazhar)

Submitted by Um Safia

"This dish is traditionally cooked in Algeria for eating during Ramadan and on special ocassions. It is hardly ever eaten as a main course, but as a small dish after the main. This recipe freezes well. In my family, it's only my husband that eats it so I freeze individual portions for him. I tend to play around with the recipe and change the fruit around and add a little extra liquid. This is just one of hundreds of variations of this recipe, I will post a few alternatives later."

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photo by French Tart

Ready In:: 1hr 10mins
Ingredients:: 11
Yields:: 8 small(ish) servings
Serves:: 8

ingredients

1133.98 g lamb, cubed
44.37 ml butter
2.46 ml ground cinnamon
709.77 ml water
59.14 ml sugar
16 prunes, soaked and drained (ready to eat)
29.58 ml raisins
29.58 ml almonds
1 pear, peeled and cubed
59.14 ml orange juice
4.92 ml orange blossom water (mazhar)

directions

Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed pan. add the lamb and saute over a low heat for around 5 minutes.
Add the water, sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Cook on a moderate heat for approximately 40 minutes.
Add prunes, raisins, almonds, pear and mazhar. Simmer for 15 more minutes. Add the orange juice and mix well before serving (make sure you have a good mix of ingredients in each portion).

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Reviews

This was wonderful, we really enjoyed this! It was a bit sweeter than I am accustomed to, but that was part of it's charm. Due to time constraints, I made it ahead of time and kept it warm in the crock-pot for several hours. I was excellent and the flavors really got a chance to meld. Thank you so much for posting!

Glori-B
Now we really loved this - but I do make lots of North African dishes with fruit - so I am very fond of the sweet flavour cutting through the spicy flavour. Excellent flavours, although I did not have a pear handy - so I used an apricot instead. The only other small change, was that I added a few chickpeas, which I had in the fridge - this really added a new dimension to this dish. Thanks for posting this authentic Algerian dish Rezika - it was devoured by the two of us! (By the way - I made the full amount and but the rest in the freezer!) FT:-) Oh yes - we ate this with real STEAMED fruited couscous!

French Tart
Now this is a funny thing. I made this the other day and didn't care for it much but my brother in law LOVED it and so did my Moroccan friend who said it was like something her mum makes. I think it's a question of taste. I was expecting something like a sweet and sour dish, but it's not like that. Only try this if you've had something similar before or have a very open mind (and palette)!

Lil Chef Beth

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Um Safia

ABOVE: My eldest, Talha with his 'Zaar Star! I'm 29 years old and have been cooking since I was old enough to wield a wooden spoon! My Mum is a fantastic cook and both my Grandmas were great cooks too. I've also had the pleasure of working in two commercial kitchens - one which I ran and the other I was second chef of. You can find me lurking in the NA*ME (North Africa / Middle East) Forum where I am a host: http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewforum.zsp?f=59 and also in the Cooking for Kids Forum where I am co-host: http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewforum.zsp?f=34 <style>body { background: url(http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/ww141/Um_Safia/seamless%20tiles/seamlesstile1.jpg);background-repeat: repeat; }</style> I am fortunate enough to have 2 children of my own now and enjoy cooking with my eldest who is almost 8 years old. My daughter is almost 3 & has now started joining me in the kitchen & 'helping'. She likes to stand on a chair next to me, give instructions & stir. We eat food from all over the world but my husband prefers it like 'mama used to make' or in his case ''like yemma makes it'' as he is Algerian! We are currently living in the UK after living in Algeria for a while. You will notice that I have posted quite a few Algerian classics. If I had the time and the money, I would spend all day every day trying new recipes! My husband has a 'recipe score' which is this: 1: "Add it to your recipe book - I loved it and wanna eat this again soon!" 2: "Interesting....I will enjoy eating this again." 3: "I cleared my plate but don't expect me to eat this again...ever." However, I rate 'Zaar recipes the by the 'Zaar standard, so don't worry. Oh and fyi, I have a problem being negative so will probably NEVER give a rating less that 4*!!! Other than cooking, I love anything arty-crafty and enjoy painting when I get the chance, which is rarely these days. I used to sell a lot of my creations and do things to order but just don't have the time at the moment. I have a passion for gardening almost as strong as that for cooking. I tend to have 90% of it in pots though as I can't bear to leave it behind when we move - therefore we don't have a lot of stuff that we'd like to have as it wouldn't like being confined to a pot! I take great pride in my garden and love the summer months (the few that we get in the UK) when we can eat outside... and being a typical man, my husband likes any excuse to get the BBQ going - enough said! By the way; I'm on a mission to re-educate people about soaking cous cous for use in North African recipes.,,just so you all know....it is traditionally STEAMED & not soaked! Most of the North African recipes I have have been taught to me by my mother in law, sisters in law etc. A few have come from very old cookbooks. It has taken me a long time to get the dishes into some kind of recipe form as basically we "eyeball" the majority of the ingredients. Bear with me whilst I try to get the rest of the recipes in order!... On a personal note, I abhor the mistreatment of animals and have taken care of many abandoned or injured animals over the years. Similarily, I love to help children and that is why my husband and I are in the process of becoming foster carers. I have a thing about being polite and having good manners - they don't cost anything after all. Something that bugs me is when you hold a door open for someone and they don't even acknowledge you or if you need to go through a door and they won't hold it for you but let it slap you in the face! 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