Bazin

Bazin (Libyan Barley Dough with Lamb, Tomato and Egg Sauce)

Bazin is Libya's national dish: a dome of dense, hand-pressed barley flour surrounded by a rich sauce of slow-cooked lamb, tomatoes and eggs. It is traditionally eaten communally, by hand, by tearing pieces of the dome and dipping them into the sauce.

Prep

20 min

Cook

90 min

Total

110 min

Serves

4 to 6

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) barley flour, fine stone-ground barley flour is traditional; do not substitute pearl barley or whole wheat
• •900 ml (3¾ cups) water, for the dough, plus extra as needed
• •5 g (1 tsp) fine sea salt
• •800 g (1¾ lb) bone-in lamb shoulder or shank, cut into chunks, bone-in gives the sauce its body; boneless leg will work but the sauce will be thinner
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
• •1 item large onion, finely chopped
• •4 cloves garlic, crushed
• •4 g (2 tsp) ground turmeric
• •3 g (1½ tsp) sweet paprika
• •3 g (1 tsp) ground cumin
• •1 g (½ tsp) ground cinnamon, Libyan cooks almost always add a pinch of cinnamon to savoury meat dishes
• •3 g (1 tsp) fine sea salt, for the sauce
• •1 g (½ tsp) black pepper
• •800 g (1¾ lb) ripe tomatoes, grated (skins discarded), about 4 medium; canned crushed tomatoes (800 g) are an acceptable substitute
• •250 ml (1 cup) water, for the sauce
• •1 tbsp tomato paste
• •4 to 6 item eggs, one per serving, cooked gently in the sauce until the whites are set and yolks still soft; cook to 70 °C / 160 °F yolk and 63 °C / 145 °F white for food safety
• •15 g (¼ cup) fresh parsley, chopped

Steps

1. 1 Season the lamb: toss the chunks with half the turmeric, half the paprika, the salt and pepper, and set aside while you start the sauce.
2. 2 Brown the lamb: heat the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the lamb in a single layer and brown on all sides, about 6 minutes total. Work in batches if needed; do not crowd the pot. Transfer to a plate.
3. 3 Build the base: lower the heat to medium. Add the chopped onion to the same pot with a splash of water and cook, scraping up the brown bits, for 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
4. 4 Bloom the spices: add the remaining turmeric, the paprika, cumin and cinnamon. Stir constantly for 30 seconds so the spices toast but do not burn.
5. 5 Add tomato: stir in the grated tomatoes and the tomato paste. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until the mixture darkens and thickens slightly.
6. 6 Braise the lamb: return the lamb and any juices to the pot. Pour in 250 ml water, bring to a simmer, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook gently for 60 to 75 minutes, until the lamb is fork-tender and pulls cleanly from the bone. The sauce should be thick and glossy; if it reduces too far, add a splash of water.
7. 7 Pick the lamb from the bones (traditional) or leave bone-in, then simmer uncovered for 5 more minutes to concentrate the sauce. Taste and adjust salt.
8. 8 While the lamb braises, make the bazin dough: bring 900 ml water to a rolling boil in a wide, heavy pot. Add 5 g salt.
9. 9 Sprinkle the barley flour into the boiling water in a steady stream while stirring vigorously with a sturdy wooden spoon or spatula. The mixture will seize into a stiff, heavy mass; keep stirring until it pulls away from the sides of the pot and forms a single ball, about 5 to 7 minutes of hard stirring. If a little dry flour remains in patches, splash in 1 to 2 tbsp hot water and work it in.
10. 10 Wet your hands and a clean work surface with cool water. Tip the hot dough out onto the surface and knead quickly for 1 to 2 minutes until smooth and free of cracks. Add a few drops of water to the hands and surface as needed; the dough should be glossy, pliable and slightly sticky, never dry or crumbly.
11. 11 Shape the bazin: form the dough into a tall, smooth dome or pointed cone. To serve the traditional way, wet your hands, cup them around the dome, and gently lift and press it into shape so the surface shines. Set the dome in the center of a wide serving plate.
12. 12 Cook the eggs in the sauce: make four to six shallow wells in the sauce around the edge of the pot. Crack one egg into each well. Cover and cook over very low heat for 4 to 5 minutes, until the whites are fully set but the yolks remain soft (egg white reaches 63 °C / 145 °F and yolk around 70 °C / 160 °F).
13. 13 Spoon the lamb, tomato sauce and a set egg generously around the bazin dome, leaving the top of the dome exposed and dry. Scatter the chopped parsley over the sauce.
14. 14 Serve immediately on a single large platter in the middle of the table. To eat as is traditional, tear off a small piece of the bazin with the right hand, press your thumb into it to make a hollow, and use it to scoop up lamb, sauce and egg. Bread is not served alongside bazin.