Arabic Lamb and Kidney Pudding
Several years back I was challenged to take traditional British Fare and give a recipe an Arabic twist. Never been one to shy away from a challenge, I came up with this Arabic take on the British winner we all know and love ‘Steak and Kidney (steamed) pudding’.
For my Arabic version I use lamb which is extremely popular in the region and season with sumac and zaatar. Both being a traditional Middle Eastern spice and herb.
The result was superb, a true winner befitting any table. Very easy to prepare and relatively easy to assemble (make sure you use a solid 2 litre pudding bowl well buttered as the mould) and importantly, keep an eye on the water level in your boiling pot during the stove top cooking.
The addition of cold water to the final beef filling inside the pudding during cooking will make a gravy, however, the end result is extra delicious when a good beef stock is served to make extra gravy.
Finally, this savoury meat pudding can be turned out and plated for serving, however, as in the photo, it does look rather magnificent when wrapped in a clean, colourful cloth napkin.
Ingredients
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Meat Filling
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850g boneless lamb
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400g lamb kidney- trimmed
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2 tbsp sumac
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Pinch salt
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Generous grind of black pepper
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1 large red onion- finely chopped
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Handful of fresh Zaatar- chopped
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1-2 tbsp cold water
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Suet Pastry
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375g self-raising flour- sifted
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185g shredded suet
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Approximately 250ml cold water
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Additional
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Hot gravy stock- to moisten as a natural gravy
Instructions
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Prepare pie meat filling:
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01 Finely chop onion and Zaatar (a food processor is excellent for this). Keep to one side. Trim lamb and kidneys i.e remove excess fat off lamb and any white veins from kidneys. Mix 1-2 tbsp of sumac with lamb and kidneys.
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Prepare suet pastry:
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02 In a bowl mix self-raising flour and shredded suet. Add enough cold water to bind together to form a soft dough. Roll out suet crust into a large circle, remove a small triangle and line the buttered pudding bowl. Reserve the small piece for the top.
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Assemble:
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03 In alternative layers, starting with the meat, place the meat and onion zaatar mixture inside the pudding. Finish with 1-2 tbsp of cold water (this make delicious natural gravy inside the pudding). Seal pudding with the suet crust lid.
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Prepare for boiling:
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04 Cover pudding top with a layer of baking paper and a layer of tin foil. Tie securely with string. Lift into a large, deep saucepan filled half way with boiling hot water, cover with the saucepan lid and boil away gently for total 4 hours. See notes for an extra cooking tip.
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Serve:
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05 Turn the pudding out onto a warm plate or wrap in a cloth and serve with extra natural gravy stock to act as additional gravy should the pie need it. Accompany with lightly steamed vegetables, or may be even some golden buttery mashed potatoes.
Notes
For a golden crust boil hard for the first hour and then reduce to a gentle simmer for the remaining three. This pudding does freeze well after cooking but please remember, it will always needs another 2 hours to reheat. Use a 2 litre pudding bowl well buttered as the mould.
