Quzi (Authentic Iraqi Lamb over Rice)

Iraqi Quzi (or Qoozi) is a show-stopping lamb and rice dish traditionally served at celebrations and to honor guests. It features fall-apart tender lamb layered over fragrant yellow basmati rice, topped with crispy almonds and sweet raisins. Though it looks like a feast, this authentic Middle Eastern recipe is surprisingly easy to make—with just 30 minutes of hands-on time.

The Answer to My Dinner Parties!

If I’m hosting – 90% of the time, I’m going to make quzi. It’s a family favourite in my house and generally made for guests, along with Iraqi Dolma and Chicken Mandi.

The reason I go to it time and again is because it’s incredibly easy to prepare in advance so I have minimal work the day of the dinner, and I can work on the traditional sides (fasolia, okra, and definitely some Arabic salad).

The unique thing about my family’s Iraqi quzi is that the seasoning is very subtle, using whole spices to infuse flavour while boiling the lamb. We don’t add a lot of seasoning because we want to truly savour the meat flavour. Also – my mom’s secret step is to cook the rice in the lamb broth which makes it extra special and full of umami! That’s why the lamb is boiled first rather than roasted straight away.

Now I’ve had many people show surprise at just how little spices we use, so if you do like lamb with a lot more spices, you must try my Lamb Kabsa or Yemeni style lamb shoulder.

Ingredients you will need

Notes on the type of lamb:

• Traditionally, a full lamb shoulder or lamb leg is used. Serving it as a whole adds to the grandness of this dish (but its less practical to cook). Lamb shoulder works best for this dish because it has a lot of fat which helps the lamb handle slow cooking better. The fat from the lamb is what adds a lot of flavour, but too much of it can also give off that “gamey” smell. I typically ask my butcher to trim off the top layer.
• To cook a full lamb leg or lamb shoulder, you would need a large pot and you’ll end up rotating the meat throughout the cooking time to ensure it all gets cooked evenly. So it’s definitely harder compared to smaller pieces.
• Also you won’t be able to use a pressure cooker if you’re using the full shoulder. I recommend using smaller pieces of bone-in lamb shoulder or lamb shanks for an easier and more practical cooking process (and same taste).

Whole spices – using whole spices is crucial in this dish because it not only imparts a subtle but delicious flavour, it also helps to diminish that “gamey” lamb flavour. I typically use cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, and bay leaves at a minimum. But if I have the others I would definitely add those as well.

How to Make My Family’s Quzi

Buying and preparing the lamb

It’s really important to use high quality fresh lamb. Make sure its from a tried and tested local butcher. Lamb has a tendency to smell and taste “gamey” so quality is important!

To clean the lamb, you just need to wash it with water and rub it with salt, which helps to get rid of that gamey-ness. Some people also like to rub lemon all over it, but I don’t find that it’s necessary – the key is the quality of the lamb you’re using.

Wash the salt off and place the lamb in a large pot as shown below. If you are using a full shoulder, you will likely have to rotate it and cook it on the other side as well unless you have a really large pot. This doubles your cooking time; another reason to stick to smaller lamb pieces.

Stove top method

If you’re using the stove top method, place your lamb in the pot and cover with water. Bring it to a boil for about 10 minutes, and skim off the foam that starts to form on the surface. This is a really important step and part of diminishing that “gamey” flavour. Once you have skimmed all of the foam, you can then add in all of the whole spices and salt.

Cover the pot and boil for 2-3 hours or until you test it with a fork and find that it is tender. It will cook for another few hours in the oven after that so it doesn’t need to be completely falling off the bone.

Pressure cooker / Instant Pot

If you’re using smaller pieces and can cook them in a pressure cooker or the instant pot, start with adding them to the pressure cooker, covering with water, and allowing it to come to a boil. Once it does, skim off any of the foam on the surface and discard, add all of the whole spices and salt, then pressure cook for 45 minutes.

Roasting the lamb

Once the lamb is cooked and fork tender, remove from the pressure cooker or pot and place in an oven save dish. Strain the broth from the whole spices. Add 2-3 ladles of the broth to the bottom of the lamb in the oven dish, and set the rest aside.

If you like your lamb spicy or with a lot of extra seasoning, I recommend adding a spice rub all over the lamb at this point. You can use my middle eastern seven spice or baharat blend.

Cover the lamb tightly with foil and roast in the oven at 400F for 3-5 hours. If its a full shoulder, you’ll need closer to 5 hours, but if it is pieces, you need 3-4 hours. You want to ensure that it is fall off the bone tender before moving on to the next step.

Once the lamb is really tender, uncover the dish and broil it for 3-7 minutes to get a nice colour. Do this step right before serving.

Cooking the rice and garnish

Cook the rice using the reserved lamb broth. Simply measure out how much broth you need for the amount of rice you’re cooking. If using Basmati rice, I use a 1:1.5 rice to water ratio. Place the broth in your rice pot and add turmeric (to make it yellow) as well as adjust the salt. The broth should be salty.

Add the washed and drained rice (no need to soak) to the boiling broth. Cover it with a well sealed lid, allow it to continue boiling for a few minutes on high heat to build up steam, then decrease the heat to low and leave it covered, undisturbed for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the heat off and leave it to rest another 10 minutes.

Fry the almonds in some olive oil on medium heat, continuously stirring to avoid burning it (it burns really quickly so keep an eye on it). Once it is golden brown, remove it and add the raisins which only need a few minutes to warm up and soften.

Assembling the Quzi

When you are ready to serve, assemble by adding a layer of yellow rice to to a large serving platter. Place the broiled lamb pieces on top, then sprinkle with almonds, raisins, and finely chopped parsley. Serve with yogurt, salad, or a stew on the side.

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