Camel meat Kabsa
Hashi meat is one of the time-honored specialties of the Saudi table: a deep red, lean meat for which the country's butcheries and restaurants are famous, and its Kabsa with a two-hour simmer is among the most premium and least fatty of Kabsas.
Heat the ghee in a large pot and brown the Hashi pieces on all sides until they form a brown crust. Good browning is the foundation of the Kabsa's flavor.
Add the chopped onion until it browns, then the garlic, ginger, and spices for half a minute until fragrant, then the grated tomato, the paste, and the pierced Loomi, then cover with hot water and season with salt.
Let the pot come to a boil, then lower the heat and cover for two full hours until the Hashi meat becomes tender and separates from its bone easily. Camel meat cooks more slowly than lamb, and one hour is not enough for it.
Lift out the meat, strain the broth, return twice the volume of the rice from it, and adjust its salt, then add the washed, soaked rice and the grated carrot, which gives the Kabsa its color and a light sweetness, and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cover for twenty minutes until the rice is fluffy and has absorbed the broth.
Brush the meat pieces with a little ghee and spices and put them in a hot oven for ten minutes until they brown, then spread out the rice, place the meat on top, and scatter the raisins and toasted almonds.
The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar, while the glycemic load (GL) measures how much a full serving raises it. Together they give the complete picture.
A low value (≤55) means a gradual rise in blood sugar — the most suitable range for diabetes and insulin resistance.
Glycemic load reflects the impact of the full serving. To lower it: take half a serving, or pair the recipe with a source of protein and fiber.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet per FDA food-label reference values — your daily needs may be higher or lower. Values are derived from the recipe's ingredients via the USDA database.
The most common problems when preparing Camel Meat Kabsa, and how to fix them:
The simmering time was too short, and this is the most common mistake with it. Two hours is the minimum and three for an older animal, and a pressure cooker shortens it to fifty minutes.
The broth exceeded twice the volume of the rice or the heat was not lowered. Stick to twice the volume and to twenty covered minutes on the lowest heat.
The paste is too little or the browning is insufficient. Good browning of the meat and frying the paste at the start of the broth are the source of the color.
Its flavor is stronger than lamb and this is its nature. The Loomi and spices balance it, and it can be served without mentioning the type of meat beforehand so it is judged on taste alone.
Served hot in the middle of the table.
Three days, meat and rice, in containers, reheated by steam or covered.
The meat with its broth for two months, with fresh rice cooked in it on the day of need.
| Original Ingredient | Tested Substitute | Ratio | Flavor Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hashi meat | Lamb | 1:1 | Returns to the usual meat Kabsa with one hour of simmering |
| The large bone-in pieces | Small Hashi cubes | 1:1 | Cook in an hour and a quarter, with the loss of the bone's appearance |
| The ghee | Oil | 1:1 | Lighter, though ghee is the foundation of Kabsa flavor |
| The raisins and almonds | Caramelized onion (kishna) | same amount | A savory topping in the Qassim style instead of the sweet one |
| Ingredient | 8 servings | 4 servings | 16 servings |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Hashi | 1.5 kg | 750 g | 3 kg |
| The rice | 800 g | 400 g | 1.6 kg |
| The Loomi | 3 | 2 | 6 |
Give the Hashi meat two full hours over low heat and do not treat it like lamb. It is leaner and slower to cook, and needs longer for its tissue to tenderize, and whoever rushes it eats tough meat.
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