• Take the packet of mloukhia and place the contents in a large cooking pot on the stove. Add about 2 cups of neutral cooking oil. Mix and stir to get the lumps out. Then add about 2 liters of hot/boiling water but leave room at the top of the pot. Bring to a boil on med/high heat. Add bay leaves, then turn down pot to a low simmer and cover for about 2 hours.

Meanwhile

• Prepare the meat. (You can also do this the night before.) In a small bowl, mix tabil, caraway, harissa/tomato paste, ground pepper, and a pinch of salt. Then mash the garlic cloves to a paste in a mortar and pestle (or finely chop with a knife) and add to the other spices. Place lamb in a larger bowl and rub the spice mixture into the meat with a spoon. Cover and refrigerate (you can prepare this the day ahead and refrigerate overnight).
• After two hours, turn mloukhia pot back up and let it boil, then add the lamb in. Let it boil for a bit then turn down heat and let it simmer on low (for ~1.5-2 hours).
• At this point, the meat should be tender and starting to fall off the bone. The minute the water hits the mloukhia, it has a slimy consistency. The only way to get rid of this is to let it cook for a long time. (Total cooking time: ~3.5-5 hours) Serve with baguette and enjoy!