Lebanese Pea Stew with Rice Recipe – Lebanese Special

Begin by boiling the beef. Add the beef to your pressure cooker along with enough water to cover the meat plus a few inches. Do not cover at this time. Boil for 10 minutes on high heat. Throw away the first batch of water and rinse out the meat from excess fat. Add 6-8 cups of water to the beef along with whatever you typically use to boil meat. I like to add a half small onion, 1 large bay leaf, 1 cinnamon stick, a few cloves, 2 teaspoons of salt, and ½ teaspoon of black pepper. Cover with lid and set the pressure cooker on the highest level over medium-high heat. Once the pressure cooker begins to whistle after 7-10 minutes, lower the heat to medium and set a timer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn off heat and let pressure cooker release the steam. Set aside with the fresh broth.

Wash the fresh bunch of cilantro and cut off the stems. Finely chop and set aside.

Peel the garlic and cut in half or thirds. Place in a mortar and top with half teaspoon of salt. Crush garlic well.

Wash and peel the carrots. Dice into small ½ inch cubes. Set aside.

In a large deep pot, heat up 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add chopped cilantro and crushed garlic and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes. Do not let the garlic burn.

Add diced carrots and sauté for an additional 3 minutes. Add 6 cups of the fresh beef broth along with ¼ cup of tomato paste. Mix until tomato paste has dissolved. Add the bag of frozen peas, and cooked beef cubes. Lower heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes.

Lastly, add the dried coriander, salt and pepper. Taste for preference.