Name: Zurbian (Zurbiyan)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 20 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Cuisine: Saudi (Hejazi / Hadhrami)
Ingredients: 1 kg lamb or chicken, on the bone; 250 g (1 cup) yoghurt; 2 tbsp ginger–garlic paste; 1 tbsp zurbian or biryani spice mix; 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp red chilli powder; Salt to taste; 3 onions, sliced and fried golden; 3 tomatoes, chopped; 2 potatoes, peeled and halved; 120 ml (½ cup) oil or ghee; 500 g (2½ cups) basmati rice, soaked 30 min; 2.5 litres water + 2 tbsp salt (for parboiling); Whole spices: cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf; Pinch of saffron in 4 tbsp warm milk; Extra fried onions, coriander and mint

Zurbian saffron rice with yoghurt-marinated meat and potatoes — Illustrative photo · Photo: Number55 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Zurbian is the Hejazi and Hadhrami answer to biryani, and a Ramadan favourite across the western Kingdom. Meat is marinated in spiced yoghurt, cooked with potatoes, then layered with saffron rice and fried onions and given a gentle steam. Aromatic, colourful and generous, it sits proudly between the worlds of kabsa and biryani.

Servings: 6
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 20 minutes
Total: 1 hour 50 minutes (plus 1 hour marination)
Difficulty: Intermediate
Rice: Aged long-grain basmati

Method

Tick a step to mark it done.

Step 1: Marinate the meat in the yoghurt, ginger–garlic paste and ground spices for at least 1 hour.
Step 2: In oil, add the tomatoes to the marinated meat with half the fried onions; add a little water, cover and cook until the meat is nearly tender.
Step 3: Fry the potatoes until golden and add them to the meat for the last 10 minutes.
Step 4: Parboil the drained rice to 70% in the salted, spiced water; drain.
Step 5: Layer the rice over the meat and potatoes, scattering fried onions, herbs and saffron milk between the layers.
Step 6: Cover and steam (dum) on the lowest heat for 20–25 minutes.
Step 7: Rest 5 minutes and fold gently before serving.

To serve

Serve with raita or daqoos and a green salad.

Zurbian (Zurbiyan)

Ingredients

Method

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Lamb Kabsa

Chicken Mandi