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5 from 2 votes

Easy Beef Kabsa

Kabsa with Beef Shanks is a comforting meal made with warm rice, cubed veggies, cooked beef shanks in one pot, and then topped with toasted almonds. This is the simple version of Kabsa compared to others I make that require more steps! ⁣
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
Keyword: easy recipe, kabsa, kabsi, meat and rice, spiced rice
Servings: 4
Author: Lama

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds Beef shanks or lamb
  • ¼ cup olive oil extra virgin
  • 2 medium onions
  • 4 carrots cubed
  • 1 large tomato largely cubed
  • 1 tablespoon ginger and garlic paste or freshly grated/minced
  • 3 tablespoons kabsa spice
  • 2 cups Basmati rice
  • 1 dry lemon optional
  • 3 ½ cups meat broth
  • 2 tablespoons salt

Toppings

  • 1 cup slivered almonds and/or raw cashews
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

  • Place the beef shanks and dry lemon (loomi) in a pressure cooker for 1 hour.
  • Remove the meat and gently piece each chunk using your hands into the size you desire.
  • Sift the meat broth to clean from any gunk.
  • Wash and drain your rice until the water runs clear.
  • In a medium pot, add 1/4 cup oil on high heat and then sauté the cubed onions and carrots for 5-7 minutes.
  • Add the ginger and garlic paste and stir for another 2 minutes, or you can use fresh garlic and ginger.
  • Add in the soaked and drained rice, cooked meat chunks, kabsa spice, salt, meat broth and cubed tomatoes, and then stir.
  • Let it boil for 1 minute, and then cover the pot and lower to simmer for 15 -17 minutes.
  • Allow rice to rest for 10 minutes before serving. 
  • Toast the slivered almonds with olive oil until they are golden brown to garnish the rice along with minced parsley.

Video

Notes

  • To have fluffy kabsa rice, first wash the rice, soak it in water for 30 minutes, and then drain. Also, be careful about the amount of water to add. It's a rule of thumb that says when you use one cup Basmati rice, you add one a half cups liquid. Make sure not to stir the rice while cooking.
  • It's common to eat beef or lamb kabsa with side dips. In general, Saudis have the dish with a sauce called Shatta or chili pepper sauce. 
  • One variation of the kabsa with beef shanks recipe goes without broth. You can replace the meat broth with tomato sauce.
  • Give the meat a fragrant touch before you cook it. Add some cardamom pods, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick to the meat broth.