Bazin (Libyan Hard Dough with Lamb Sauce)

Bazin is Libya’s national dish: a firm, unleavened barley dough molded into a dome and surrounded by a spiced lamb and tomato sauce with whole eggs and potatoes. Diners tear off pieces of the dough to scoop up the sauce, a communal way of eating that goes back generations.

Ingredients

For the sauce

• 2 lbs lamb shoulder, cut into chunks
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground caraway
• 4 cups water
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and halved
• 4 whole eggs
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

For the bazin dough

• 3 cups barley flour (or all-purpose flour)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 to 2 1/2 cups water

Instructions

1. Brown the lamb
   Heat the olive oil in a large pot and brown the lamb chunks on all sides. Remove and set aside.
2. Build the sauce
   In the same pot, saute the onion until soft, then add the garlic, tomato paste, turmeric, paprika, and caraway. Cook for 1 minute.
3. Simmer the stew
   Return the lamb to the pot, add the crushed tomatoes and water, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
4. Add potatoes and eggs
   Add the potatoes and whole eggs (in their shells, or gently cracked into the simmering liquid) and cook for another 30 minutes, until the lamb is tender.
5. Make the dough
   Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil in a separate pot, gradually whisk in the barley flour and salt, and stir vigorously over low heat until a very stiff, smooth dough forms, about 10 minutes.
6. Shape the dome
   Wet your hands and shape the hot dough into a smooth dome on a serving platter.
7. Assemble and serve
   Ladle the lamb, potatoes, and eggs around the dough dome, spooning extra sauce over the top.

Traditionally the whole family eats bazin together, tearing pieces from the dome to dip into the sauce.