Roasted green wheat with lamb, by Hussein Dekmak

Ingredients to serve 4

250g roasted green wheat
300g lamb shoulder, cut into large pieces
2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
1 medium onion, chopped
salt
200g nuts (such as pine nuts, cashews and blanched almonds) toasted until golden

Frikkeh is roasted green wheat and it is a speciality of Lebanon. It has a delicious taste. You can do this dish with chicken instead of lamb, if you prefer.

Soak the wheat in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes. Skim off the dust that floats to the top and rinse in several changes of fresh water. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to the boil, add the lamb and cook until tender – this will take about 25 minutes. Drain, reserving the cooking water.

Heat the ghee in a separate pan, add the onion and cook until softened. Add the drained wheat and some salt and cook for five minutes, stirring.

Pour about 400ml of the reserved cooking water into the pan, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook gently for 45 minutes until the wheat is tender but still has a bit of bite.

Divide the wheat between serving plates. Arrange the cooked meat on top and scatter the toasted nuts over the food.

Serve with laban (yoghurt) or salateh Lebnanieh (Lebanese salad).

The Lebanese Cookbook by Hussien Dekmak (Kyle Cathie, £14.99) with photography by Martin Brigdale.