Aruzz Mufalfal (Peppered Fluffy Rice with Meat)

Ingredients

• fatty meat
• fresh tail-fat
• salt
• dry coriander
• cumin
• cinnamon
• mastic
• measure rice
• measures water
• saffron

Instructions

1. Brown medium-cut fatty meat in rendered tail-fat with salt and ground coriander.
2. Cover with water, boil until done and skim; lift the meat once sweated but not parched and season heavily with coriander, cumin, cinnamon and mastic.
3. Use 1 measure rice to 3.5 measures water; boil the water with rendered tail-fat (one-third the meat's weight), mastic and cinnamon sticks.
4. Wash rice several times, dye with saffron, add without stirring; cover about an hour until rice swells.
5. Arrange the meat over the rice, cover with cloth-wrapped lid sealed from air, settle on low fire an hour, then lift. May be made plain without saffron.