Name: Bazin
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 110 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Libya, North Africa
Ingredients: 500 g lamb on the bone, cut into pieces; 2 large onions, diced; 3 tbsp tomato paste; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp turmeric; 2 medium potatoes, peeled and halved; 2 cups barley flour; 3 whole eggs, hard-boiled and halved

Bazin

Libya's national dish â€” a smooth, dense dome of barley dough surrounded by a rich lamb and tomato stew, topped with hard-boiled eggs. Eaten communally by hand.

Country

Libya

Region

North Africa

Time

110 min

Serves

Level

hard

Bazin

Bazin is the centrepiece of Libyan cuisine, a dish that defines national identity. The barley dough is cooked and pounded until smooth, then shaped into a dome and placed in the centre of a large round tray, surrounded by a slow-cooked lamb stew. Families gather around the tray and eat with their right hand, tearing off pieces of bazin and dipping them in the sauce. It is served at every major celebration and Frid...

Best served withHard-boiled eggs and fresh salad

Best occasionFriday lunch, Eid, weddings

Country hubLibya cuisine hub

Collection routeSunday Specials

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Image sourced from unsplash by Alfredo Burgos.

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What the dish tastes like

Libya's national dish â€” a smooth, dense dome of barley dough surrounded by a rich lamb and tomato stew, topped with hard-boiled eggs. Eaten communally by hand.

When to cook it

Best for Friday lunch, Eid, weddings, with a hard cooking level and about 110 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Hard-boiled eggs and fresh salad

Follow the collection route

Sunday Specials is the main AfroKitchen collection route tied to this dish right now. Sunday Specials

Start the stew

Heat olive oil in a large pot. Brown the lamb on all sides. Add onions and cook until golden. Stir in tomato paste, turmeric, salt, pepper, and 1 tsp cayenne. Add enough water to cover the meat generously.

Brown lamb 10:00

Simmer until tender

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Cover and cook for about 60 minutes. Add potatoes in the last 20 minutes. The lamb should be falling-off-the-bone tender and the sauce thick.

The sauce needs to be rich and reduced â€” it is the dipping sauce for the bazin.

Simmer stew 60:00

Make the bazin dough

Bring 3 cups of salted water to a boil. Gradually add the barley flour while stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. Keep stirring and cooking over low heat for 15 minutes until you have a very thick, smooth dough that pulls away from the pot.

Stir constantly and use muscle â€” the dough should be very thick and smooth.

Cook dough 15:00

Shape the dome

Wet your hands and shape the barley dough into a smooth dome. Place it in the centre of a large round serving tray.

Dip your hands in cold water to prevent sticking.

Assemble and serve

Arrange the lamb and potatoes around the bazin dome. Pour the stew sauce over and around it. Place the hard-boiled egg halves on top. Serve communally and eat by hand.

Tear small pieces of bazin and dip into the sauce â€” the combination is extraordinary.

Bazin

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Step-by-step instructions

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