Bazella (Green Peas and Lamb over Rice)

Bazella — green peas with lamb in tomato sauce — is the dish Syrians mean when they say home cooking. Sweet peas and tender lamb simmer together in a sauce seasoned with allspice and cinnamon, and the whole pot is spooned over buttery rice. It is the kind of meal mothers make on a regular Tuesday and children request for their birthday dinners. Simple, honest, and deeply satisfying, it is what most Syrians are actually eating on a weeknight, and it never goes out of style.

Sweet peas and lamb over buttery rice

The sauce is bright, tomatoey, and gently spiced, with a natural sweetness that comes from the peas themselves. The lamb, browned first and simmered low, shreds at the touch of a spoon. Toasted almonds add crunch, and a squeeze of lemon at the table wakes everything up. Serve it in wide bowls with rice underneath and the sauce spooned generously over the top, and let everyone dig in.

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