Ingreadient :

• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 1kg (2lb 4oz) lamb leg or shoulder, cut into 3-4 cm (1 – 1.5 inch) chunks
• 3 large onions, roughly chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 200g (7oz) dried molohiya leaves
• 2 x 400g (14oz) cans chopped or plum tomatoes
• 6 level tbsp tomato puree
• 1 ½ tsp sea salt flakes
• 1 ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
• 100ml (3 ½ fl oz) fresh lemon juice
• 2 litres (3 ½ pints) water
• 225ml (8fl oz) lukewarm milk
• 100ml (3 ½ fl oz) lukewarm water
• 3 tsp caster sugar
• 7g (¼ oz) fast-action dried yeast
• 500g (1lb 2oz) strong white bread flour
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• Pinch of mahlab
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 1 ½ tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp water
• 1 tsp milk
• 4 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 tsp nigella seeds
• ¼ tsp aniseed
• 250g (9oz) easy-cook long-grain white rice
• 1 chicken or vegetable stock cube
• ½ tsp salt
• 625ml (21 fl oz) boiling water
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 tbsp crushed vermicelli
• 20g (¾ oz) unsalted butter

Direction :

1. Add the olive oil to a large pan and place over a high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the lamb and reduce to a medium heat. Brown the lamb for a few minutes until the colour changes completely (the meat won’t crisp up as the pan will be overcrowded, but that’s fine), then add the onions and garlic and stir well. Reduce the heat to low and let everything simmer with the lid on for around an hour.
2. Wash the molohiya leaves in the sink in lots of cold water, being careful not to crush the leaves. Once washed, place them in a large colander and leave in the sink to drain fully.
3. After the lamb has been cooking for an hour, add the tomatoes to the pan, breaking them up as you stir them through. Add the tomato puree, salt, pepper and peppercorns to the pan and stir again before adding the lemon juice. Start to add handfuls of the washed molohiya leaves to the pan, gently pushing them down into the juices. Stir the leaves well, add the water, increase the heat to bring everything to the boil, then reduce to a medium-low heat and simmer for 2 – 2 ½ hours with the lid on, checking every 30 minutes and giving it a gentle stir.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and let the molohiya settle for an hour with the lid on, so that the gravy has a chance to thicken before serving.
5. In a heatproof jug, mix the milk and water, add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the yeast, give it a gentle stir and leave to one side for 5-10 minutes until it’s activated. The liquid will rise and turn frothy when ready.
6. Meanwhile, sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and stir through the cinnamon, cloves, mahlab and salt. Make a well in the centre of the flour and spices.
7. Stir the olive oil into the activated yeast mixture and pour into the well at the centre of the dry ingredients and start to bring everything together with clean hands to form a dough. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and start to knead. You shouldn’t need any more flour at this point. Keep kneading by hand by 10-12 minutes until a nice smooth dough is formed, tucking the sides under as you finish. Alternatively, place everything into a stand mixer and knead with the dough hook attachment for 10 minutes.
8. Spread a little oil over the dough, place it back into the bowl and cover the bowl with plastic film and a clean tea towel. Leave the bowl somewhere warm and cosy to prove for at least an hour (but no longer than 1 ½ hours) until it doubles in size.
9. Mix all the seeds together on a large tray. The dough will be coated in this seeded mixture once shaped.
10. Once the dough has risen, take it out of the bowl and gently punch it down for a few seconds.
11. Roll the slightly flattened dough into a long 30 cm (12 inch) smooth, chunky sausage, slightly shaping the ends into curved points, tucking any creases underneath. Using a dough cutter (or a saucer, like my mum has always done) cut horizontally all the way through the dough in eight equal sections to create eight separate segments. Gently push the pieces back together to reform the original sausage shape while maintaining the shapes of those distinct segments. Mix the flour, water and milk in a small bowl to create a smooth paste and brush it all over the dough.
12. Carefully lift the shaped dough and transfer it to the tray of seeds, coating the bread all over so that no seeds remain in the tray.
13. Line a deep baking tray with greaseproof paper, place the dough on it and cover with a tea towel. Leave somewhere warm to prove the dough again for another hour.
14. While the dough is proving, preheat your oven to 230 C / 210 C fan / 450 F / gas mark 8.
15. Pour 100ml (3 ½ fl oz) water into a glass. Once the dough has finished proving for the second time, place the baking tray on the middle shelf of the oven, and throw the water (not the glass) into the bottom of the oven to create steam. Quickly close the oven door and bake the dough for around 25 minutes until beautifully golden brown. Allow to cool a little before serving.
16. NOTE – This will freeze well wrapped in foil. Remove from the freezer a couple of hours before you need it, then preheat your oven to 180C / 160C fan / 350 F / gas mark 4, and put the wrapped loaf on the middle shelf of the over for 20-25 minutes or until fully warmed through. The crust should harden up again and the middle will be as soft and light as if it has just been freshly baked.
17. Pour the rice into a sieve, wash well with cold water until the water runs clear, and leave to drain over a large bowl.
18. Dissolve the stock cube and salt in the boiling water and leave to one side.
19. Heat the oil in a medium-sized pan over a medium heat. Add the vermicelli to the pan and stir continuously until it starts to turn a golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the vermicelli to cool down for a minute or two. The vermicelli will continue to darken a little more once off the heat.
20. Add the rice to the pan, along with the butter, and stir well so that the rice is coated in the oil, and the vermicelli and rice are evenly dispersed.
21. Pour the stock into the pan, stir well then return the pan to the hob over a medium-low heat. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and allow the rice to simmer for about 10-12 minutes or until the stock has been almost fully absorbed by the rice (bubble holes will start to appear in the rice when it’s almost ready).
22. Remove the pan from the heat, cover with a couple of sheets of kitchen paper and the pan lid, and let the rice sit in the pan for a few minutes. Fluff up with a fork before serving.