How to Make Kalle Pache: The Honest 14-Hour Recipe

What is kalle pache?

Kalle pache is a traditional Persian dish of lamb head and trotters slowly simmered for around 14 hours until the meat falls apart and the broth turns the colour of strong tea. The name comes from Persian «کله‌پاچه» — kalle (head) and pache (trotters). Across the Gulf and Iraq the same dish is known as baja or «الباجة», while the trotters cooked on their own are called paye. It is one of the oldest restorative breakfasts in the region: rich, collagen-heavy, and traditionally valued as a warming, strengthening meal eaten at dawn.

Is kalle pache hard to make at home?

Honestly, yes — not because the recipe is complicated, but because it is long. There are only a handful of ingredients, and the technique is mostly cleaning and waiting. The lamb head and trotters must be scrupulously cleaned and hair-free, then blanched, then held at the barest simmer for most of a day while you skim the pot every hour. It is a labour of love that rewards patience rather than skill. If you would rather skip the 14 hours, we cook it exactly this way every day — you can order it fresh in Dubai instead.

What ingredients do you need?

This makes a generous pot to serve four to six people.

• 1 whole lamb head, split and cleaned (ask your butcher to split it)
• 4 lamb trotters (paye), thoroughly cleaned and hair-free
• 2 large onions, peeled
• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 1 whole head of garlic, cloves peeled
• Salt, to taste
• Water, enough to cover generously (about 3–4 litres)
• 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
• Juice of 1 lemon, to finish
• To serve: warm sangak bread, garlic pickle (torshi), and a glass of doogh

How do you make kalle pache?

Give yourself the full day. The active work is small; the waiting is everything.

1. Clean the lamb head and trotters thoroughly, scraping and singeing away any remaining hair, then rinse under cold running water.
2. Soak the head and trotters in cold water for at least 2–3 hours, changing the water once or twice to draw out blood and impurities.
3. Blanch: place everything in a large pot, cover with water, bring to a boil for about 10 minutes, then discard that first water and rinse the pieces clean.
4. Return the head and trotters to a heavy or copper pot. Add the onions, turmeric, peeled garlic and the optional cinnamon stick, and cover generously with fresh water.
5. Bring to a gentle boil, then drop to the barest simmer. Cook low and slow for about 14 hours.
6. Skim the surface every hour, removing foam and fat so the broth stays clean and turns the colour of strong tea.
7. Season with salt only in the last hour or two, once the broth has concentrated, so it does not over-reduce and turn salty.
8. The dish is ready when the meat, tongue, cheek and trotters are meltingly tender and slide off the bone.
9. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and serve hot with sangak bread, garlic pickle and doogh.

What do you serve with kalle pache?

Traditionally it arrives at the table with fresh sangak bread for tearing and dipping, sharp seven-year garlic pickle to cut the richness, and a glass of salty doogh to drink alongside. Many people squeeze lemon over the broth and tear the bread straight into the bowl. It is classically a dawn or early-morning meal, which is one reason we stay open 24 hours.

Should you cook it yourself or order it fresh?

Is the lamb halal?

Yes. In the UAE all meat sold is halal by law and standard, and the lamb we use is halal. We prepare everything the traditional Tehran way — hand-cleaned before dawn and simmered slowly in a copper pot with onion, turmeric and garlic. If you would like to taste the real thing without the 14-hour commitment, you can order online for delivery across Dubai, or reserve a table at our Jumeirah 1 restaurant.