Halal Potluck Meal Recipe

Recipe It’s always fun to get together with family and friends for a fun lunch or dinner. It’s even more fun when you’re only responsible for one dish instead of the entire meal. Check out this recipe for a halal potluck meal to share at the next potluck you’re invited to!

The Community Potluck

Our masjid hosts a community potluck once a month. It’s a nice opportunity to get together with other families that we normally don’t see, share a meal, and pray together. We have a small–but diverse community, so there are food options from every corner of the world. Lately, I have found most people bring side dishes and salads but not many people want to bring a main dish. I’ve taken it upon myself to make a main dish every month to share in an attempt to balance out the food.

Feeding More People Using Less

Here’s the thing. We don’t always eat only zabiha meat. Our closest butcher is almost 2 hours away, and the prices are more expensive than purchasing organic meat at our local butcher. So when we can’t get zabiha meat we eat free-range organic meats from local farmers. For us, this is the best option economically and ethically. So when it comes to potluck I always use zabiha meat just to make sure everyone feels comfortable sharing in the food that I make. Because it is so much more expensive for us, I have tried to find ways to “extend” the meat to feed more people using less. This recipe is a good example of how.

A Recipe to Share

Ingredients

1 small onion diced finely
2 cloves of garlic chopped finely
2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 lbs of beef or lamb
4 oz tomato paste
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric
3 cups water (may need more)
1 can of chickpeas
6 cups of cooked basmati or short grain rice, cooked as you prefer it

Directions

In a dutch oven add 2 tbsp olive oil, onions and garlic and cook on medium heat 5-8 minutes until onions are translucent.
Next add the meat and brown on all sides.
Sprinkle all of the spices (cumin, salt, paprika and turmeric) on top of the meat and mix well to coat all of the meat.
Pour the 3 cups of water on top of the meat, and stir in the tomato paste.
Cover the dutch oven and cook on medium heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Occasionally check the meat and water levels. You many need to add more water depending on how hot and fast it is cooking off.
Once the meat is tender, drain and add the can of chickpeas to the pot to heat up for about 5 minutes.
To serve, spread the rice onto a large platter and top with the meat and chickpeas. Pour the remaining liquid on top of the entire platter.