TAVË KOSI
Tave kosi - Albania’s national dish - Lamb with yoghurt and rice
Tavë Kosi, Albania’s national dish - I absolutely love it!
The combination of meat with the decadent yoghurt roux that goes over the top is definitely not light but it certainly is delicious. Served with a simple green salad, this is one of my ultimate treat meals in the colder months but it’s so good, I’ll eat it any time of the year to be honest.
It’s also a great way of using up leftover meat after a roast dinner! Cube up any leftover meat instead of using fresh chunks to save time on cooking the fresh version and save on any food waste too.
INGREDIENTS
For the meat base:
1kg cubed lamb meat (shoulder or leg work best)
100g white rice
3 garlic cloves, chopped
675ml water
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
For the roux topping:
75g butter
3 tablespoons plain flour
1kg Greek yoghurt
9x eggs
Tave kosi
METHOD
Heat a little olive oil in a pan and gently fry off the lamb to brown it on all sides. Then remove the lamb and set aside.
In the same pan, fry the garlic until soft, then add the lamb back into the pan along with the oregano and water.
Bring to a gentle boil before reducing to a simmer. Cook the lamb on a low simmer for 1 hour.
10 minutes before the hour is up, stir the rice into to the pan and leave it to cook. Keep an eye on the water levels during this stage of cooking and add more if needed so that the rice can cook.
When the meat is ready, remove it from the heat and set it to the side.
Heat the oven to 180 degrees.
Then get started on your roux. Heat the butter in a saucepan over a low heat until melted, then add the flour and bring together into a smooth roux. Then set aside to cool a little while you prepare the next step.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and yoghurt, season well, then quickly whisk in the roux until well combined.
Portion the meat into 6 ceramic oven dishes (or traditional Albanian tavë dishes) before topping with the roux mixture.
Cook the dishes in the oven for 35-45 minutes until the roux has risen and browned a little.
When they’re ready, remove them from the oven and cool slightly before serving.