Savoring the Flavors of Iraq: Exploring Timmen Qouzi

Finding my way through navigating Iraqi cuisine is an on-going journey of self-exploration, expression, reflection, and celebration. As a Jew born in Baghdad, my connection with cooking stems from, and relates to, a legacy, class, and status that each has richness in culture and history.

Out of a desire to spread the rich cuisine of Iraq, I have a few areas of consideration that I follow in accommodating some dietary retractions. Kosher, vegetarian, vegan, nut-free, gluten-free, texture disorders are among the most common diets I have to pay attention to when hosting a community event in Seattle.

Rather than dismissing integral parts of my cuisine by removing main ingredients, I decided to look for reasonable alternatives, whether ingredients or ways of cooking and serving. For the purpose of this blog, I expressed my desire for sharing two recipes instead of one to accommodate those who adhere to, at least, vegan and kosher diets. Thus, making my recipes accessible by introducing them to more people who can follow them in the most convenient ways I can teach.

 

Timmen Qouzi (Or Qouzi Ala El-Timmen) – Braised lamb over special rice

This is a dish that I cook on shabbats or other important occasions that I host. While it brings me memories of joy, interconnectedness, and a life that was taken away from me prior to the 2003 war, I make this dish to revive a sense of community that I grew up with and now I create as an adult. It is a Baghdadi legacy that I carry and celebrate in a recreation format that takes the historical inspiration of cooking it in a way that incorporates tradition and methodology using modern techniques I developed by experience. In other words, trial and error. From substituting roasting over open fire and burying meat with ceramic slow cookers and Dutch ovens, I found myself cooking an authentic dish using modern interpretations that fairly employ originality and refinement. This can be reflected in how I cook this dish, what ingredients I use, and how I present it. Undoubtedly, it is a dish I pride myself in mastering.

In the fertile land of Mesopotamia, ancient civilizations invented some of the most advanced methods of irrigation, harvesting, and farming. Lamb is among the meat products that was consumed by the Sumerians and Babylonians who discovered unique ways for preparing and cooking it. This is a dish that combines ancient and pre-contemporary eras in a way that reflects different methods of cooking as far as ancient Mesopotamian inhabitants and elements incorporated from the kitchens of ruling entities including the Ottomans, Persians, Abbasid, and Umayads.

 

Recipe: Timmen Qouzi (Or Qouzi Ala El-Timmen) – Braised lamb over special rice

Rice ingredients:

• Basmati rice
• Olive oil
• Saffron (OR Turmeric, if hard to find/afford)
• Cinnamon stick

Rice preparation:
Start by soaking the rice in a big bowl (two inches above the surface). At this stage, please try to avoid:
-Oversoaking by either adding too much water
-Leaving the rice soak for too long;
-Filling the bowl with rice to the top (each rice grain expands once you add water, and more so upon cooking)

Take a few strands of saffron and soak in warm temperature water. If using turmeric, add this spice directly on the olive oil and mix thoroughly till the oil changes color and all the spice powder is diluted. Next, pour the rice into a fine strainer where only the water can go through. Set aside while preparing the garnish as explained below.

Rice garnish ingredients:

• Cardamoms
• Cloves
• Vermicelli noodles
• Olive oil
• Peeled, boiled almonds
• Raisins

Rice garnish preparation:
In a large pan, add some olive oil and leave it on low while you crush the cloves & cardamoms (leaving skin on for extra aroma & flavor). Add the these along the vermicelli and sauté till it becomes golden.

Notes on cooking rice from my experience:
Rice is a diverse dish that is popular among different regional cuisines regardless of how it’s cooked. It does not only vary in shapes, flavors, and textures. In my experience cooking with and for my Ashkenazi friends whom I either invite or to whose houses I go, especially when adhering to strict kosher guidelines, I sometimes find myself in a position where I have to explain, and perhaps, justify technique as I cook my own cuisines, especially when it comes to rice.

The type of rice, amount being used, classifying rice as a side or main dish, and methodology of cooking rice are common themes I experience on these occasions. First, long grain, aromatic basmati is what I need to have access to when asked to throw an Iraqi dinner with a rice dish either being the main or a side. This brings us to next points regarding the amount and classification of rice. Coming from a culture that celebrates their guests and a sense of community, we cook a lot of rice to feed the people we host and to accompany the diverse dishes we cook.

Furthermore, there are at least three categories under which rice dishes can be classified in Iraqi cuisine. Each type reflects different ways of cooking. On the one hand, it can be served as an entrée as in the case of Iraqi (independent from the Indian) Biryani. On the other hand, it can be used as a side dish that accompanies stews (Margat, in Iraqi Arabic dialect). Additionally, it can be stuffed inside whole baked chickens or vegetables (in the case of Dolma, stuffed grape leaves and other vegetables). Therefore, it becomes restrictive when I cook around people who overestimate how much rice I cook without realizing what it pairs with and whether it’s a main or side dish. That’s when I have to make sure I come up with smart, integrating menus through which I aim to enhance my guests’, or diners’, experience by serving items that go well together. As I think of it, I want my dishes to communicate. When I cook, I’m your chef. You can trust me, especially when I know my cuisine and do my best to present authentically refine versions of it.

Lastly, one important tip I’d like to emphasize is cooking your rice in a non-stick pot with a (preferably clear) lid and make sure you don’t uncover the rice when it’s still cooking. The stream being suppressed in your pot is what cooks your rice to perfection. To prevent your rice from either getting dry or soggy, wrap the lid with kitchen cloth to help collect all the steam needed to cook the rice. I remember a cooking adventure in my best friend’s house in Seattle where her mom gave me a saucepan that I found a platter to cover it with to collect the steam. Another cooking adventure involves an American rabbi in Jerusalem who gave me an unmatching, non-clear lid that he opened just a few minutes after the rice and water were added, despite being told not to do so. Coming back down after getting ready for shabbat, I saw him in the active scene of ruining my rice until I intervened to save the rice by wrapping the lid with a paper towel and let it cook on low until the steam was absorbed and kept circulating inside the pot to cook the rice. Oh, and, of course, his wife thought “there was too much rice” while the main dish that it accompanied was an eggplant stew that she would’ve dipped with challah if there wasn’t enough rice to eat it with. Don’t get me wrong, I am not opposed to using fresh whole wheat pita or lavash bread as a substitute for rice. But rice can be more filling and, from a nutritional standpoint, it comes with more proteins, vitamins, fibers, and minerals than bread.

Meat recipe:

• Salt
• Coarse black peppers
• Paprika
• Turmeric
• Curry powder
• Cumin seeds (or ground)
• Bay leave
• Cardamom
• Cloves
• Olive oil
• Red wine vinegar OR lemon (optional)

Before taking your meat out of the fridge, you can create your Baharat (spices) mixture.
In a bowl, add the spices (paprika, turmeric, curry powder, cumin), olive oil, and citrus before mixing thoroughly with either a fork or whisk to integrate everything.

The next step would be rubbing the meat with salt & black peppers gently before pouring the baharat mixture. For extra flavor, feel free to infuse a few whole pieces of cloves in the meat. If you do so, make sure to add a small amount to avoid overpowering your meat or making it too spicy.

After the mixture integrates well within the meat, cover the bowl and put it in the fridge for a half to an entire day to marinate. Prior to cooking, please cover your meat with a parchment paper first and then seal it with tinfoil. I recommend using a ceramic slow cooker or set on low for 9 hours, or medium for 5-7 hours. Upon serving, adding the juices released from the lamb shank to the rice will enhance the flavor, add a shiny look, and ensure moisture.