Hisblah

I was once asked in an exam what a 'hisblah' was. It was for a job interview but all I got was a 2 hour written exam that I didn't know I was sitting. It wasn't my fault when I answered 'a round lamb loaf which you eat with a tomato salad.' It was what was on my mind at the time. Don't ask about the job.

Ingredience:

For the loaf
Flour - 1 1/2 cups then another 1/2 cup
sugar - 2 tsp
dried yeast - 1 tsp
warm water - 1/3 cup

For the filling
Lamb - fatty meaty parts boneless x200g chopped into bite size
Onion x1, diced
Mustard seeds - pinch
Garam masala - pinch
Tumeric powder - pinch
Cumin powder - pinch
Coriander seeds ground - pinch
Fennel seeds - whole, 1/2 tsp
Tomato puree - 90g can

For the salad
Cherry tomatoes - 1 punnet, halved
Watercress - one bunch, rough stalks removed
Garlic - 1 clove crushed
Olive oil
lemon juice
salt & pepper

Method

1. Mix yeast, sugar and warm water together, let stand in warm spot for around 10 minutes or so to ferment. Mix yeast stuff in with flour thoroughly. Cover with glad wrap and stand in warm spot for further 30 minutes. Prepare lamb in meantime.
   
2. Preheat oven to 180c.
   
3. Saute onions in oil in med-high heat, adding mustard seeds half way. Just as mustard seeds pop, add all other spices & mix thoroughly. Add lamb and a pinch of salt & pepper and sear well. Add tomato puree, leaving about 1/4 in the tin, cook briefly and reduce once it begins to bubble. Take off heat to cool.
   
4. (from 1.) Sepearte dough into two. Knead each heavily, adding more flour if necesary to form supple dough. Let each sit for anothe 5 - 10 minutes to grow.
   
5. Flatten out each dough into a flat round shape at 2.5 cm thick with rolling pin.
   
6. Flour the oven tray, place thicker of the two rounds on first. Using a flat spoon, butter on the left over tomato puree on the inside circle of the base - leaving a good 2cm on the edge. Repeat with the other loaf.
   
7. Place lamb mixture onto the base evenly. Cover with the other loaf and secure the edges, leaving two holes on opposite sides as breathing wholes.
   
8. You may make silly patterns on the top of the hisblah with left over dough if you wish.
9. Bake for 30 minutes or till skin is golden brown. Remembering that this will expand so make sure there is enough room up and around for it to do so.
   
10. Salad - soak crushed garlic with lemon juice and a dash of rock salt & peper for 15 minutes to take the edge off. Mix thoroughly with olive oil before dressing onto tomatoes and watercress.