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Meat, Maghreb and Middle East

Lamb ouzi pastry

Lamb ouzi pastry is a puff pastry parcel filled with rice, ground lamb, peas, and almonds, seasoned with cinnamon and allspice. This recipe serves 4, takes 1 hour 20 minutes, has a medium difficulty level, and costs about €3.60 per person. The key is letting the rice cool fully before filling the pastry so it puffs up properly in the oven.

Tonight, I'm pulling out the big guns with a lamb ouzi pastry, a golden puff pastry parcel hiding a fragrant rice with sweet peas inside.

Lamb ouzi pastry
Total time
1 h 20
Difficulty
Medium
Cost per person
€3.60
Calories per person
620 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Fall
The kids
They generally like it

Lamb ouzi pastry is the kind of dish that turns an ordinary dinner into something special. Underneath the golden puff pastry sits a soft rice, spiced with cinnamon and allspice, with ground lamb giving it body and sweet peas adding softness. Flaked almonds bring a bit of crunch and a subtle sweetness that rounds out the whole dish.

This is a recipe to pull out when you want to impress, a Sunday family meal or a dinner for guests without spending the whole evening in the kitchen. Kids usually love the golden pastry and the mild rice with peas, and the spices stay gentle, never sharp. Set aside a bit of time, but nothing complicated, just two cooking steps to follow in order.

The ingredients

4 people

Dairy

  • Puff pastry sheets 2
  • Butter 30 g
  • Egg yolk 1

Butcher

  • Ground lamb 400 g

Pantry

  • Riceoften in the pantry 250 g
  • Flaked almonds 40 g
  • Cinnamonoften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Allspiceoften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Frozen foods

  • Frozen peas 200 g

Fruits and vegetables

  • Onion 1

Allergens Gluten, Lactose, Eggs, Tree nuts

The step by step recipe

  1. Sauté the chopped onion in the butter, add the ground lamb, cinnamon, and allspice, and let it brown. 12 min

    Don't stir too much so the meat browns instead of stewing in its own juices.

  2. Add the rice, pour in 400 ml of water, season with salt and pepper, cover, and cook over low heat. Stir in the peas and almonds at the end of cooking. 18 min

    The rice should stay slightly firm, it will finish cooking in the oven inside the pastry.

  3. Roll out both sheets of pastry, spread the cooled rice over the center of one, then cover with the second sheet.

    Leave a two centimeter border free so you can seal the pastry properly.

  4. Seal the edges by folding them over, brush with egg yolk, and prick the top with a fork.

    Make two or three small vents in the pastry, the steam will escape without making it burst.

  5. Bake at 200°C until the pastry is nicely golden. 30 min

    Place the dish on the bottom rack, the pastry will brown underneath too.

Our tips to get it right

  • Drain the frozen peas well before mixing them into the rice, extra water will make the puff pastry soggy.
  • Work with cold puff pastry straight from the fridge, taken out at the last moment, it handles better and puffs up more in the oven.
  • If the top browns too fast in the oven, cover the pastry loosely with foil for the rest of the baking time.

The variations

  • Swap the ground lamb for ground beef for a milder, easier to find version.
  • For a vegetarian version, replace the meat with chopped mushrooms and raisins, the spiced rice stays just as fragrant.
  • For busy weeknights or kids, cut the pastry into circles and make individual hand pies, they bake faster and everyone gets their own.

What to serve it with

  • A lemony green salad
  • Plain yogurt or a cucumber sauce
  • A light soup to start

Storage

Keep lamb ouzi pastry in the fridge in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days. It freezes well once cooked and cooled, reheat in the oven to keep the pastry crisp. Avoid the microwave, it makes the puff pastry go soft.

Questions about this dish

Can you make lamb ouzi pastry ahead of time?

Yes, you can assemble the pastry the day before and keep it covered in the fridge. Brush with egg yolk right before baking for a shiny golden finish.

Can you use a different nut instead of flaked almonds?

Pine nuts or chopped cashews work just as well. Keep the same amount to preserve the crunch in the filling.

How do you keep the puff pastry from getting soggy?

Let the rice cool completely before filling the pastry and drain the peas thoroughly. Warm, wet rice is the main reason the pastry fails to puff up.

Can you bake lamb ouzi pastry as individual portions?

Yes, cut the pastry into circles and fold them into hand pies filled with rice. They bake faster, about 20 minutes at 200°C, and they're easy for kids to handle.

How long does it take to make a lamb ouzi pastry?

Count 1 h 20 in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “medium”.

How many calories are in a lamb ouzi pastry?

About 620 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a lamb ouzi pastry cost?

About €3.60 per serving, or €14.40 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains gluten, lactose, eggs, tree nuts. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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