Tavë Kosi (Elbasan Tava)

5 from 3 votes

Tavë Kosi (Elbasan Tava in Turkish) is a simple Albanian dish consisting of lamb, eggs, and yogurt seasoned with a generous amount of garlic and thyme.

Prep Time10

Cook Time2

Total Time2 10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Eastern European, Mediterranean, Turkish

Servings: people

Calories: 405kcal

Author: Ayla Clulee

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Lamb Stew

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ½ lbs diced lamb shoulder (700 grams)
2 medium onions (diced)
3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon flaked chili
1 ¼ cups water (300 ml)

For the Yogurt Topping

1 ¾ cups Greek yogurt (400 grams)
1 cup flour (125 grams)
2 medium eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cooking liquid from lamb

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preparing the Lamb Stew

Place a Dutch oven or heavy-based pan on medium heat and add olive oil.
When the pan is heated, add the diced lamb and sauté until brown.
Lower the heat to low, add the onions, and sauté them until soft and translucent before adding the garlic.
Cook the garlic for a minute, stirring continuously to avoid it burning.
Add the salt, chili, thyme, and freshly ground black pepper along with the water.
Give it a good stir, put the lid on, and let it gently simmer for about 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the lamb is fork-tender.
When the lamb is cooked, remove it from the heat and strain the liquid to use it for the yogurt topping.
Let the liquid cool down for 10 minutes before using it.
Transfer the lamb meat to a medium-sized baking dish and proceed to prepare the yogurt topping.

Preparing the Yogurt Topping

Preheat the oven to 180° C (360° F).
Place the eggs in a bowl and whisk them lightly.
Add the yogurt, salt&pepper, and flour to the eggs to form a roux, and then whisk in a ladle of lamb broth.
Mix well until the mixture is lump free and smooth before adding the rest of the lamb broth.
Pour the yogurt mixture on top of the lamb meat evenly and place the dish into the preheated oven.
Bake it for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the yogurt crust is golden brown and puffed up.

Notes

Use a cut of lamb with at least %20 fat content. Lean meat will have a big impact on both the texture of the meat and the sauce. So stick with the shoulder, neck, shank, or shin for the best results.
Sear the lamb before adding the other ingredients as it has a huge impact on the flavor. Make sure your Dutch oven/pan is heated thoroughly before adding the diced lamb.
Let the liquid cool down for 10 minutes before adding it to the yogurt and egg mixture.
Trim the extra fat from the meat and use fat-free greek yogurt if you want to create a lower-fat Elbasan Tava dish.
You can keep the leftovers for up to five days when refrigerated in an airtight container. If you want to keep them for longer, you can freeze them for up to 3 months.

Nutrition