Qeema (Iraqi Lamb and Split Chickpea Stew)

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the lamb in two batches for about 4 minutes per batch, then move it to a plate.
2. Lower the heat to medium and cook the onions in the same pot for 8 minutes until golden. Add the garlic, tomato paste, turmeric and baharat and stir for 1 minute.
3. Return the lamb to the pot with the split chickpeas, tomatoes, cinnamon stick, dried limes and hot water. Bring to a boil and skim off the foam.
4. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour. Stir in the salt, then cook for another 30 to 40 minutes, until the lamb is tender and the chickpeas are soft but still whole.
5. Uncover for the last 10 minutes if the stew is thin. It should be thick like a chunky sauce. Remove the cinnamon stick and taste for salt.
6. Serve ladled over rice, topped with fried potato sticks if you like.

Tips

• Dried yellow split peas work if you cannot find chana dal. They cook a little faster, so check them after 50 minutes.
• Add the salt after the chickpeas have started to soften, which helps them cook evenly. Crack the dried limes lightly so more of their sourness leaks into the sauce.