Ouzi Lamb (Arabic Lamb with Spiced Rice)

Ouzi Lamb. Learn how to cook the best Arabic lamb meat and rice. Ouzi is a delicious Arabic spiced rice made of rice, ground beef or lamb, and topped with marinated and slow cooked lamb.

If you loved my Ouzi with chicken recipe, you're going to absolutely love my Ouzi Lamb! My husband is a super picky eater and recipe critic and he rated this Ouzi Lamb recipe 10/10. I hope you guys give this delicious authentic Arabic recipe a try it is sure not to disappoint!

Ouzi, Ghuzi, Qoozi, or Khuzi (قوزي in Arabic) prounounced "oozee" is a rice-based dish popular in the Middle east. Ouzi is served with very slowly cooked lamb and roasted nuts over a fragrant spiced Arabic rice.

Do you love Arabic food and want to learn how to make delicious authentic Arabic recipes at home? Make sure to read my complete guide on Cooking Arabic Food at Home!

WHAT IS OUZI MADE OF?

Ouzi is a classic Arabic meal that is made of well-seasoned rice cooked with peas, carrots, onions, and ground beef or ground lamb. Ouzi rice is then topped with slow cooked chicken or lamb. There are several variations to ouzi depending on the region, all of which are spectacular!

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF OUZI?

Ouzi is a Lebanese word for "a dish of baked lamb and spiced rice." The rice is seasoned with a blend of delicious spices including dried lime, cardamom pods, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, and bay leaves, giving the recipe its Middle Eastern flavor and makes it everyone's favorite dish.

WHERE IS OUZI FROM?

Ouzi, also spelled quzi, qoozi, or ghoozi, is a delicious rice-based dish that is considered one of Iraq's national meals. This dish was introduced into Turkey by Syrian immigrants, according to sources across the web.

You will see different variations of the spices in Ouzi, along with different toppings. Some people top Ouzi with pine nuts, some almonds, and sometimes you will see raisins.

HOW DO YOU MAKE LAMB SOFT AND TENDER?

So I made my ouzi lamb in 2 different pots to experiment with which method would give me the most tender falling off the bone lamb. In one pot, I lined it with parchment paper and placed the lamb on top. In the other pot, I did not line it with parchment paper.

The lamb cooked in the parchment paper was able to hold more liquid and slow cook in more liquid, giving it a much more tender and buttery texture.

Here are my top tips for buttery fork-tender Arabic lamb:

1. Line your pan with parchment paper to hold the juices around the lamb.
2. Cover your pan with a tightly fitting lid.
3. Slow cook for at least 2 ½ hours at 275 degrees F.
4. Check your lamb! If it is not falling off the bone easily, cook it for longer at a low temperature.

TIPS TO MAKE THE BEST ARABIC OUZI LAMB YOUR FAMILY WILL RATE 10/10!

1. Marinate the lamb. This will give the spices more time to soak into the lamb.
2. Marinate the ground beef. This adds so much flavor right into the ground beef in the ouzi rice.
3. Use parchment paper. It will hold even more juice to slow roast the lamb in.
4. Slow cook the lamb. Slow cooking gives a lot of time for the tough fats in the lamb to break down.
5. Use high quality spices in your ouzi rice. Get rid of old spices! Use only fresh spice bought within the last 6 months.

HOW TO MAKE ARABIC OUZI LAMB AND RICE AT HOME

I used to think Arabic meals were so difficult and complicated to make! Every cook has their own style of cooking, tasting, and creating a perfectly delicious meal. It was difficult for me at first because my in laws speak Arabic and some things get lost in translation.

So I came up with a method of writing down exactly what I put into the meal and then adjusting each time I made it to make it better and better. This method works well for me because there is no guessing and I can simply follow the measurements each time!

I hope you love this Ouzi Lamb as much as we do it is one of my favorite Arabic meals to make during Ramadan and all year long!

STEP 1: MARINATE LAMB & GROUND BEEF

The first thig you're going to do is to marinate the lamb AND the ground beef. The longer you marinate your ouzi meat for, the more delicious it will be! I usually marinate mine overnight for about 12 hours.

For the Ouzi lamb marinade, grab a blender and add these ingredients:

• 1 small onion
• 1 small tomato
• 5 cloves fresh garlic
• 1 tablespoon tomato or red pepper paste
• 2 teaspoons Arabic 7 spice blend
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon adobo powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• ½ teaspoon ground paprika
• ½ teaspoon cajun seasoning
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon salt

Blend the ouzi marinade ingredients until totally pureed and rub all over the lamb. Cover the lamb and store in your fridge until you are ready to roast it.

For the ground ouzi beef or lamb marinate take 1 pound of ground beef/lamb and massage in:

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon Arabic 7 Spices

Cover the ground beef and store in the fridge until you're ready to make the Ouzi rice.

STEP 2: SLOW COOK ARABIC MARINATED LAMB

After you have marinated your ouzi lamb and beef, it's time to slow roast the lamb!

Grab any pan that has a tight fitting lid. I don't have a big pan that has a tight fitting lid, so I divided my marinated lamb between 2 dutch ovens.

Line each dutch oven with parchment paper to help keep the juice around the lamb.

Bake in the oven uncovered at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.

Cover with the lid and lower the heat to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for about 2 ½ hours or until the lamb is buttery and falling off the bone easily.

STEP 3: MAKE THE OUZI RICE

In the last 45 minutes of your ouzi lamb roasting in the oven, make the Arabic spices ouzi rice.

In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons ghee and add 1 diced yellow onion. Cook until the onion is beginning to caramelize for the best flavor.

Next, add the marinated ground beef or lamb along with the ouzi rice spices:

• 1 dried lime
• 2 bay leaves
• 5 cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon Arabic 7 spices
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt

Cook, breaking the ground beef apart until it is browned.

Next, add in 1 ½ cups of frozen mixed vegetables and 2 cups washed basmati rice. Cook for about 3 minutes so the rice can absorb some of the spices and flavors.

Cover the rice with 3 cups of bone broth. Stir once. Cover the pot and bring the ouzi rice to a boil. Once the broth boils, reduce the heat to low and cook for about 15 minutes or until the rice has absorbed all the liquid.

HOW TO SERVE ARABIC OUZI LAMB AND RICE

Once the rice and lamb are both cooked to perfection, pile the ouzi rice onto a large serving platter.

Top the ouzi rice with the slow cooked lamb, toasted nuts like pine nuts or almonds, and fresh chopped parsley. Some people like to top ouzi with raisins so if you love a little bit of sweet in your rice add some raisins too!

More Authentic Arabic recipes (in English) you can make at home!

• Ouzi Chicken
• Maqluba with Chicken or Lamb
• Galayet Bandora
• Dwali (Grape Leaves)
• Musakhan
• Chicken Kabsa
• Galayet Bandora
• Shorbat Adas
• Sfiha
• Arabic Yellow Rice
• The Best Fluffy Hummus
• Arabic Chopped Salad
• Fasolia with Lebanese Rice

If you try my Arabic Ouzi Lamb Recipe, please let me know your thoughts by leaving a rating and comment below! Ready for more? Subscribe to my newsletter or follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube!