Oman's Eid centerpiece: whole lamb or goat rubbed with date paste, tamarind and a dense spice blend, wrapped in banana or palm-frond leaves and buried in a communal underground ember pit for one to two days. The name simply means 'grilling' in Arabic — the kebab impulse taken to its slowest possible extreme.
Also known as: shuwaa, Omani shuwa, shuwa lamb, shua, شواء عماني
Watch it made
Ingredients
- 1.8 kg lamb shoulder, bone-in
- 3 tbsp date paste
- 2 tbsp tamarind paste
- 2 tbsp Omani spice mix (cumin, coriander, cardamom, clove, chili)
- 6 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar or lime juice
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 large banana leaves (or foil plus parchment)
- cooked rice, to serve
How to make it
- 1
Blend the date paste, tamarind, spices, garlic, vinegar and oil into a thick, almost-black paste and massage it deep into slashes cut across the lamb; rest overnight.
- 2
Wrap the shoulder tightly in banana leaves, then in foil, sealing every seam — shuwa cooks in its own trapped steam like the underground pit it comes from.
- 3
Bake at 130 C for 4.5-5 hours without opening the parcel.
- 4
Unwrap at the table: the meat should slump off the bone at the touch of a spoon.
- 5
Pile over rice and spoon the leaf-scented juices from the wrapper on top.
Pro tip: The date paste is not garnish sweetness — it blackens into the crust during the long roast and is what separates shuwa from any other slow lamb.
