🍛 Zurbian Lamb
Zurbian is a Yemeni rice dish of lamb marinated in yogurt and spices, layered with fried potatoes, onion, tomato and long-grain rice, then perfumed with saffron and cardamom. The result is rich and aromatic, with tender meat and colorful, fragrant grains. It is a festive dish served on large platters for weddings and Eid.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 kg lamb, in pieces
- 200 g plain yogurt
- 500 g basmati rice, soaked
- 3 potatoes, quartered
- 3 onions, sliced
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 pinch saffron in 3 tbsp warm water
- 6 cardamom pods, plus cumin, cinnamon, salt
- 4 tbsp oil
Method
- Marinate the lamb in the yogurt, cardamom, spices and salt for at least 1 hour.
- Fry the onions in the oil until golden; fry the potatoes until lightly browned.
- Cook the lamb with the tomato and half the onions, covered, for about 1 hour until tender.
- Parboil the rice for 6 minutes and drain.
- Layer the rice over the lamb and potatoes, top with fried onion and saffron water, cover tightly and steam 25 minutes.
How to make it lighter
- Bake or air-fry the potatoes instead of frying them to save oil (1 tbsp oil ≈ 120 kcal).
- Use lean lamb leg and trim visible fat.
- Fill half the plate with salad and keep the rice portion moderate.
History
Zurbian is strongly associated with Aden and Hadrami cooking and is often compared with South Asian biryani. It is also popular in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, where Yemeni restaurants serve it widely.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →