Bazella w Riz, or Syrian Carrot, Pea, and Tomato Stew, is delicious, heartwarming, and nutritious. You start it like many other Middle Eastern stews: boiling beef with onions, Arabic 7 spices, and salt, making a hearty beef broth. Then, you sauté carrots with olive oil before adding tomato paste and cumin. Simmer the carrots with the beef broth, beef, tomato passata, diced tomatoes, and for some added complexity, lemon and orange rinds. While it cooks, make a super addicting caramelized garlic and cilantro mixture. In the last 5 minutes, add frozen peas, and mix in the caramelized garlic/cilantro. With all of the layered flavors, colors, and textures, I know your whole family will love it. It’s absolutely perfect served with rice.
Middle Eastern Stews
Stews, or yakhneh/yakhni/yekhne, are very common throughout Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan. Generally, in-season vegetables are simmered in a tomato-y meat broth that’s seasoned with a blend of all spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, coriander and black pepper (i.e. Fosolia, Bamiyeh, etc.). I love this version because carrots and frozen peas can be found delicious year-round.
A lot of people like to use a bag of frozen peas and carrots. Here, I chopped fresh carrots, kept them big both for texture and appearance, and added in the peas at the end of cooking to make sure they retain their bright green color.
Ingredients
Beef Cubes — Any beef stew cut works well here. You can use chuck or any other less expensive cut, since you want to boil it for some time to make the broth and don’t want it falling apart.
Onion — Boiling meat with onion not only adds flavor, but it also eliminates any gaminess, or strong odor, that meat might have.
Arabic 7 Spices — Arabic 7 spices is a spice mix that usually contains all spice, black pepper, cloves, coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a bit of ginger. You can see me making mine here.
Salt — I love to use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, but any favorite salt will do.
Olive Oil — You’ll use olive oil to sauté carrots and caramelize the garlic.
Carrots — Carrots are loaded with fiber, vitamin b6, and carotenoids, which convert to vitamin A and support healthy vision. Fresh carrots are peeled, quartered, and chopped in half before sautéing, seasoning, and simmering in broth.
Cumin — Earthy cumin pairs wonderfully with the carrots and peas.
Tomato Paste — Tomato paste makes an excellent thickening agent and foundation for the sauce.
Tomato Passata — Tomato passata, or tomato puree, is made by pureeing and straining fresh tomatoes. It helps make thick, luscious tomato sauces.
Chopped Tomatoes — Canned chopped tomatoes, diced tomatoes, or crushed tomatoes help give the sauce some additional texture.
Orange and Lemon Rind — I was inspired with this addition from Anissa Helou’s Instagram post. Straight juice is too strong for this stew, but simmering it with the rind, which I remove with a vegetable peeler, adds a perfect dimension.
Garlic — I think garlic cooked separately helps bring out its aromas and flavors. Here, garlic is cooked in olive oil before being flash-cooled with a whole bunch of cilantro and added to the stew at the end.
Cilantro/Coriander Leaves — Cilantro pairs perfectly with this earthy stew. Add it after caramelizing the garlic to stop the browning process and to cook them slightly. Be sure to clean and chop the cilantro before starting to cook the garlic, since you’ll toss it in right as it comes off the heat. You can keep the tender stems on, too.
Method
Like many other Middle Eastern stews, start by browning 1 onion and the beef cubes in a large pot. Once they’re well browned, add the spices and cook for about a minute. Add water and simmer for about 5 minutes before skimming off any scum and covering. Continue simmering until the meat is about 3/4 of the way tender, about 45 minutes to an hour. Strain, reserving the broth.
Add some olive oil to the bottom of a large heavy-bottomed pot. Add the carrots and sauté until they have a bit of color. Add salt, tomato paste, and cumin, and toss for about a minute. Add the tomato passata/puree, chopped tomatoes, meat, meat broth, and the lemon and orange rinds. Bring up to a boil, then lower down to a simmer. Cook until the carrots are soft, about an hour.
Meanwhile, in a medium-sized pot over medium heat, heat olive oil and toss in the garlic. Stir continuously until golden brown. Remove from the heat and immediately toss in clean, chopped cilantro. Set aside. You can also make your rice at this point, too.
When the carrots are soft, add in the peas, and continue simmering for about 5 minutes.
Adjust salt, and add in the garlic/cilantro mixture just before serving.
Special Equipment
I love to use my Le Creuset Dutch Oven to both boil the meat and make the stew, but if you have another large, heavy-bottomed pot that will also work well.
I absolutely love these Williams Sonoma silicone spoons. I used to use wood, but they deteriorated quickly. Metal is damaging to the Le Creuset enamel. Silicone is the way to go.
I cook the cilantro/garlic mixture in a saucepan.
For more kitchen equipment must haves, visit this link!
I hope you give this recipe a try! If you do, don’t forget to put it in the comments so everyone knows how it worked out. I also love to see your creations! You can tag me on social media at #omayahcooks, @omayah.atassi on Instagram, @omayahcooks on Pinterest, and @omayahatassiphoto on Facebook.
I know you get bogged down with what to feed your family every week because believe it or not, I do too. That’s why I created my monthly meal prep guide. I map out the month with a calendar, recipes, and weekly grocery lists to make cooking super streamlined for you. Be sure to sign up to get the next one to your inbox.
Bazalia ou Ruz (Syrian Carrot, Pea, and Tomato Stew)
Ingredients
- 1 lb/500 g beef stew meat or chuck, cut into cubes
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tsp Arabic 7 spices
- 1-2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 lb/1 kg carrots, peeled, quartered, and cut into 3-inch pieces
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 14 oz/500 g tomato passata/purée
- 14 oz/500 g canned crushed/chopped tomatoes
- Rind of 1 lemon, removed with a vegetable peeler or paring knife
- Rind of 1 orange, removed with a vegetable peeler or paring knife
- 7-10 oz/200-300 g frozen peas
- 1/4 c vegetable oil
- 1 head garlic, smashed or minced
- 1 head cilantro/coriander, washed, tough stems removed, chopped
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot set over high heat, cook the meat and onions. Stir occasionally until well browned, about 5 minutes.
- Toss in the Arabic 7 spices and salt and mix for another minute or so.
- Add enough water to cover the meat, about 4 c/1L, maybe more depending on the pot. Simmer for about 5 minutes and skim off any foam. Cover and cook until the meat is about 3/4 of the way tender, about 45 mins-1 hour, depending on the cut of meat and type of pot.
- Strain, reserving the liquid.
- Wipe out the Dutch oven/heavy-bottomed pot add the olive oil, and set over medium-high heat. Cook the carrots until beginning to brown, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and cumin and cook, stirring frequently, for about another minute.
- Toss in the tomato passata/purée and chopped tomatoes. Stir to combine and then add meat and enough meat broth to cover all the components. Add water if you need more liquid.
- Bring up to a boil over high heat, throw in the lemon and orange rind, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for about an hour, or until carrots are tender. Check on it from time to time to make sure the liquid isn't drying up, and add more water as necessary.
- Meanwhile, make the Taqlay.
- In a small to medium-sized pot, preheat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the garlic and stir frequently until golden, about 4-5 minutes, being careful not to burn.
- Remove from the heat and immediately add the chopped cilantro/coriander.
- Once the carrots are tender, just before serving, add the peas and simmer for 5 minutes more.
- Adjust seasoning and add the Taqlay to the stew.
- Serve with Perfect Rice