Laban Ummo (meat stew in yogurt)

[FoodMan]

Laban Ummo, literally means “It’s Mother’s Milk” is a wonderful stew made with lamb or beef in a rich cooked yogurt sauce. The name refers to the fact that the young tender lamb or veal is cooked in it’s own mother’s milk! Kind of gruesome, I know but as far as we are concerned the meat will not be cooked in it’s own mother’s milk or even a relative’s milk for that matter, and this is one elegant and delicious stew.

In my recipe I add chickpeas even though they are not traditionally added to this dish. I just think they go great with it and add a little more body to the finished product.

This dish is very easy, well almost very easy. The yogurt sauce is a little tricky and needs constant attention and stirring or else it will curdle and turn very nasty. So, clear a good 15 to 20 minutes of your time and do NOTHING but the yogurt sauce and you will be rewarded with the most unusual, creamy and delicious sauce that could be used for many applications and this stew is one of the classical and best ones. To make the sauce I use whole homemade yogurt. If you are using store bough yogurt, just make sure it is fresh and not too sour tasting.

I like to serve this with white rice or basmati rice cooked with some clarified butter (Samen). As for the garnishes, the crushed mint and melted Samen are a must. The preserved lemon on the other hand while certainly not traditional in Lebanon, and my mom will never use it, will add a wonderful flavor that goes great with the tender meat and slightly tangy sauce.

4 Tbsp. Samen (clarified butter)

1.5 lbs. beef chuck or lamb shoulder

1 Cup chopped onions

4-5 peeled small shallots

10 cloves garlic, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 can chickpeas drained, or equivalent dried cooked

chickpeas

Cooked Yogurt Sauce:

3 cups plain whole milk yogurt at room temperature

4 Tbsp. corn starch

1/2 cup water (or more if needed)

Garnishes:

Crushed dried mint

Melted Samen (about 1 Tbps. Per serving)

Chopped preserved lemon

- Prepare the meat by trimming any excess fat and

sinew. Cut into 1 inch chunks and season with salt and

pepper.

- In a heavy pot over medium heat melt half of the

Samen and sear half the meat on all sides. Remove to a

platter and repeat with the rest.

- Add the onions, shallots (left whole), garlic and

bay leaves to the pot. Cook while stirring until they

are translucent but not brown.

- Put the meat back into the put and stir to coat with

all the aromatics. Add 3-4 cups water to the pot. The

water should be barely cover the meet.

- Bring to a boil on high heat and remove any scum.

Reduce the heat to simmer, partially cover the pot and

let cook for about 1.5 hours until the meat is almost

tender. Raise the heat to medium and remove the lid.

Let the mixture cook till the liquid is no more than 1

cup.

- Add the chickpeas and continue cooking/reducing

until most of the water is gone. You still need some

liquid in there though so do let it dry out. Now turn

the heat to the lowest setting. Cover and prepare the

yogurt.

- Put the yogurt in a sauce pot and whisk till smooth.

- Make a slurry by whisking the corn starch with the

water. Add to the yogurt.

- Put the pan over medium heat and gently stir

CONSTANTLY in one direction. Do this until the yogurt

is hot, with steam coming out of it and tiny bubbles

appear on the edges. Do not expect it to come to a

boil but it will get a little thicker than it was. If

you did this right and did not stop stirring or raise

the heat, you should end up with a smooth creamy hot

yogurt sauce ready to be used. Turn the heat off.

- Carefully pour the yogurt sauce over the beef stew.

Stir everything thoroughly, cook for no more than a

couple of minutes to get everything to the right

temperature. Season with salt and pepper if needed and

serve immediately with rice and top with the above

garnishes if desired.

The meat right before adding the water

Getting ready to add the cooked yogurt to the stew

Plated and ready to serve!

Elie

[FoodMan]

Oh, c'mon 66 views and not a single comment!! Anyone ever had this before? Do you care to make it? Do you think it sucks? Anything but silence .

Elie

[peanutgirl]

77 views now . It looks and sounds great. I've never had it before, but after reading your straightfoward directives, I do care to make it. Soon hopefully.

I read that the crushed dried mint is a must, but given the preserved lemon and addition of chick peas... would I be flogged for substituting fresh mint?

It really does look tasty.

[FoodMan]

Peanutgirl-

It is all a matter of taste and texture, fresh mint is different than the dried one in both of those regards. If you have to use it, try chopping it fine and use it sparingly.

Elie

P.S. thank you for being the very first to respond to this thread, I think you should win some kind of prize but I am not sure what...

[peanutgirl]

No prize needed. I love experimenting with new cuisines. That's the prize in itself for me... discovery .

I know dried vs. fresh herbs (mint included) are sometimes not in the best integrity of a particular dish... I was just wondering if using fresh totally strays from the authenticity of this Laban Ummo.

Other than rice... what else would you serve with it? It has plenty of protein with the meat, chickpeas & yogurt. Any particular vegetable to go with, or do you consider it a meal on it's own ?

[Wolfert]

Foodman's recipe appears to be world class; I can't wait to try his version.

I'm a big advocate of dried mint, even when fresh mint is available the dried leaves are preferred for certain dishes in North Africa, and I assume in the Middle East.

Dried mint leaves impart a special flavor to salads, stews, soups, and stuffings that you simply wouldn't get with the fresh. In some of the Turkish recipes I've worked with, dried mint is heated along with a little oil or butter then swirled into the dish at the last minute. It provides an exuberant and pungent flavor.

Dried Egyptian spearmint is available at middle eastern stores and stores well. Just remember to crush and sieve just before using.

Edited December 1, 2004 by Wolfert (log)

[Dejah]

Just got some time to check back into this forum.

Your recipe looks great, Foodman, and definitely one I will try once I start my Xmas vacation next week!

I will have my Saudi Arabian student again in the new year, so this is another recipe I can prepare for him. He was very happy with the musakhan I made for him a few days ago.

Any other recipes that you think he'd enjoy, I will try. I just have to make sure I can get all the ingredients. For example, I wouldn't know where to find preserved lemons. I guess I need to explore the ethnic food stores more closely in Winnipeg...about 2.5 hours from me.

I think my sense of adventure has returned after many years of being in the Chinese food industry! Hurray!

[FoodMan]

Peanutgirl-

Other than rice I really would not know what to serve it with, but like you said, it is quiet rich and complete on its own and needs no accompaniment. If I have to suggest something I would say something spicy and tangy, say a roasted carrot and onion salad with a cumin and chilli flavored vinaigrette.

Dejah-

Like I said the preserved lemon is totally optional, so do not let it stop you. I make my own but you should be able to find some in middle eastern or morrocan markets. Wolfert has a recipe for them in a couple of her books as does Claudia Roden. The recipes are pretty easy to follow and the resulting lemons will last a long time in your pantry adding flavor to all kinds of stuff.

Elie

[fou de Bassan]

foodman,

I was glad to see this recipe as it looks delicious! I'm interested to see if it has the same taste as an indian dish that's called aab gosht, which is lamb cooked in milk. I may have the spelling wrong tho. There's also another dish, a korma, made with yogurt by muslim indians but that has nuts added. I'd be interested to know if there's a connection. I'm sorry if this is at all off topic.

[Wolfert]

I would like to make the point that middle eastern preserved lemon is usually stored in water while North African preserved lemon is topped off with more lemon juice. I think the former would be far less acidic with the yogurt.

[Behemoth]

Dude, I commented in the dinner thread way back!

Reprise: It looks fantastic. All the versions I've had were overcooked mutton with curdled yogurt (yick). This looks like something I would actually like to try.

Oh, and I went off about the dried mint thing too, on some other page. (I think it was the "Saudi Arabia" thread.)

Oh and Dejah, I make my own preserved lemon all the time. (I think most people who use it do). It is really easy but needs about a month to "pickle".

[FoodMan]

Behemoth-

you sure did, I apologize and thank you for your kind comments.

I make my preserved lemons by topping them with lemon juice not water, so I guess it's the North African way. Honestly I've never had preserved lemons before I made them. It certainly was not a staple at my home in Lebanon.

Elie

[Wolfert]

Honestly I've never had preserved lemons before I made them. It certainly was not a staple at my home in Lebanon.

Elie

[

I'm not surprised. I think preserved lemons showed up on the Middle Eastern table via the emigres to Israel from North Africa. In a cookbook about Israel cooking, I noticed that the recipe evolved to a covering with water rather than more lemon juice. (Check out Claudia Roden's book.)

Edited December 2, 2004 by Wolfert (log)

[boaziko]

Honestly I've never had preserved lemons before I made them. It certainly was not a staple at my home in Lebanon.

Elie

[

I'm not surprised. I think preserved lemons showed up on the Middle Eastern table via the emigres to Israel from North Africa. In a cookbook about Israel cooking, I noticed that the recipe evolved to a covering with water rather than more lemon juice. (Check out Claudia Roden's book.)

←

I've just discovered, the wonders of preserved lemons a couple of years ago, but now keep both versions: I from North African recipe with Limes or Linquat (spell?)Those are halved with salt and paprika while the other preserved (sliced regular) lemons are with lemon juice and some crushed dry chili.

While the lemons recipe may have visited Israel at some stage I'm not sure if "Laban Ummo, literally means “It’s Mother’s Milk" did....

I'm not keeping Kosher, so I'll try it very soon. Looks and sounds great!

Boaziko

[Wolfert]

While the lemons recipe may have visited Israel at some stage I'm not sure if "Laban Ummo, literally means “It’s Mother’s Milk" did....

I'm not keeping Kosher, so I'll try it very soon. Looks and sounds great!

Boaziko

←

Edited December 2, 2004 by Wolfert (log)

[Behemoth]

Behemoth-

you sure did, I apologize and thank you for your kind comments.

I make my preserved lemons by topping them with lemon juice not water, so I guess it's the North African way. Honestly I've never had preserved lemons before I made them. It certainly was not a staple at my home in Lebanon.

Elie

←

The only reason I had them as a kid is we used to pass through Morocco each year on the way to visiting my grandparents in the U.S. (Royal Air Maroc was a great airline back then. I wonder what they're like now.) Preserved lemons really don't seem to be used in any Lebanese food that I know of. We sometimes ate the lemon slices my aunts threw in with the olives, but we never cooked with them.

[Verjuice]

Elie, I'm visiting my family in the Emirates just now and my Lebanese mostly-vegetarian mom is craving lamb. I'm going to make this for dinner tonight. Plans for the day include getting down to the souq to find preserved lemons.

Thanks for the recipe.

[FoodMan]

Verjuice and Baoziko, please do let us know how it turned out. I hope everyone enjoys it.

Baoziko, it really means "It's mother's milk" since Laban = milk (or yogurt) and Ummo = It's mother. However, if it makes it more platable we can call the recipe "Maddira" , which is the name used in an old Arabic literary work whose name escapes me right now (I think Claudia Roden mentions it in her book when discussing Laban Ummo).

Elie

[Bash]

Elie,

Just wanted to say thanks for the recipe. I just served it up for lunch on a cold Sunday. I've had it many times before, but never attempted to make it myself. It was great... nothing says comfort food to me like laban and rice. The chick peas were a great addition...they worked quite well with the flavor of the lamb.

I used a store bought yogurt but made sure that it was very creamy and not at all sour. I gave the sauce my undivided attention like you advised and it came out great on the first attempt. Since I didn't have any preserved lemon, I served some homemade pickled mangos on the side. Delicious!

I have a question about left overs: Is it possible to reheat them? Not quite sure how the yogurt sauce would react.

Thanks again .... Bash

[mrbigjas]

Oh, c'mon 66 views and not a single comment!! Anyone ever had this before? Do you care to make it? Do you think it sucks? Anything but silence .

Elie

←

elie, i'm a little late in getting to this thread, but it looks absolutely delicious, and i am going to make it sometime relatively soon. i hadn't heard of it before.

[Verjuice]

Elie,

Mine came out great, as well. As I mentioned earlier, I made this for my mom, who before tonight had not eaten red meat in over a year. One of my mom's favorite dishes when she was growing up was fettah bi lahmeh, made with lamb and eggplant and lots of good homemade laban. I often order fettah with chickpeas when we go out to eat around here in Abu Dhabi, but I've never had a lamb version that I liked; the few that I've tried have been loaded with cinnamon and I really dislike the taste of cinnamon with lamb. Your recipe was brilliant; I was happy and my mom didn't miss the cinnamon for a second, which brings me to my question: got a recipe for lamb fettah?

I can't wait to try this one with New Mexican lamb when I visit Santa Fe over Christmas. Thanks for an excellent recipe.

V

Edited December 5, 2004 by Verjuice (log)

[FoodMan]

This is great!! I am very pleased that everyone who tried it, loved it. Thanks for the nice comments.

Bash, first of welcome to e-Gullet and we hoep to see you more on the board. I am sure pickled spicy mangoes work great as an additional garnish. To answer your question, the leftovers heat wonderully. I heated mine up in the microwave a couple of day after I cooked it and I saw no discernible difference in taste or texture.

Verjuice, for lamb fatteh I would follow the procedure for any fatteh with laban (yogurt). Cook all items seperatly. So, cook your lamd until done but still hot, the same goes for the chickpeas, and eggplants if you are using them. Fry the pita bread in oil instead of toasting them, this way they taste better and they do not get soggy too fast. Mix the yogurt with garlic and salt and pepper, keep cold. To serve, assemble the fatteh in a large dish with lamb on the bottom, topped with eggplant, topped with chickpeas, then the pita crisps. Dollop the yogurt all over and serve at once.

EDIT to add: check this thread for more info

Elie

[zeitoun]

Elie,

Thanks for the recipe, it looks great! I will definitely try your version of laban emmo, may i suggest another way for the yogurt? A trick i learned from my dad: instead of thickening the yogurt with starch he beats in one egg white - while the yogurt is still cold of course. He also uses the infamous "maggi" powder to add flavor, but i despise that. I find that a clear homemade stock (i prefer veal), reduced a little to intensify the aroma, does a better job. Another idea as a garnish for the yogurt, one teaspoon of beurre noisette on top, mmmmmh...

[FoodMan]

Zietoun,

Welcome to eGullet!!

Thickening with an egg white is the traditional (or original) method. My mom used to do it all the time. I just like the corn starch method because I feel it gives me more control. Especially when writing a recipe I would like all criteria to be accurate and simply saying one egg white (or two) could cause some confusion and/or failure since eggs (sizes, freshness,...) can vary from my fridge to yours.

Buerre Noisette would be a good alternative if you do not have Samen, thanks for the tip and for not using Maggi .

Elie

[peanutgirl]

OK... I'm obsessed with this as I was with the larb thread. I have everything needed to make it, save for the optional preserved lemon.

I'm planning to try it tomorrow for dinner, using chuck as opposed to lamb. Yes, I'll use the dried mint.

I'll let you know how we liked it... I'm sure it'll be good though. Can't wait !