Ahmad Aldegn

Junior Sous Chef

InterContinental Doha The City

Chef Ahmad IC The City

Chef Ahmad Aldegn is the Junior Sous Chef of InterContinental Doha The City. He began his journey as Commis 1 in the Afamiya Rotana Resort in Syria, and has over ten years of experience in the culinary field, having worked in various hotels in Syria, Dubai, Istanbul and Qatar. Specialised in Oriental and Arabic Cuisine, Chef Ahmed delights in recreating traditional recipes, especially those from his hometown of Damascus in Syria.

Warak Enab with Lamb Chops

Ingredients

  • Vine leaves – 1 Kilo
  • Raw Egyptian rice – ½ kilo
  • Minced lamb – ½ kilo
  • Lamb chops – 10 pieces
  • Water – 3 liters
  • Minced garlic – 2 spoons
  • Lemon juice – 100 millilitres
  • Dry mint – 4 spoons
  • Black pepper – 2 spoons
  • Arabic spices (black pepper, white pepper, sweet pepper, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, and cardamom powder). This can be readily bought in any souq or spice store. – 1 spoon

Preparation

  1. Wash the rice with warm water then drain it
  2. Mix the uncooked rice with the raw minced lamb, and add the garlic, spices and seasoning (aside from the dry mint). You now have the filling for the Warak Enab
  3. Stuff the vine leaves with the filling, and roll tightly
  4. In a cooking pan, arrange the uncooked lamb chops on the bottom with the warak enab rolls on top, and add a heavy plate on top to keep the rolls in place. Add the water, lemon juice, and dry mint
  5. Let the water boil for three minutes before lowering the heat and leaving it to simmer on a low fire for three hours
  6. Serve hot with yoghurt on the side

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