Yemeni Saltah (stew)

Recipe No.: G-20

Gulf150 minServes 6

Saltah is widely considered Yemen's national dish: a spicy meat stew topped with white fenugreek froth, served at lunchtime in a stone bowl called a maqla. It is eaten with bread and sahawiq, and the ingredients differ from home to home.

Ingredients for Yemeni Saltah

• For the broth
• 750 gbone-in lamb or beef
• 2onions, chopped, and 3 cloves garlic
• 3tomatoes, chopped, and 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 tbspghee or oil
• 1 tbsphawaij (cumin, coriander, turmeric, black pepper, cardamom)
• 2potatoes, diced, 1 zucchini and ½ cup rice
• 2 litreswater and salt
• For the fenugreek froth (hulba)
• 3 tbspground fenugreek, soaked in cold water for 2 hours in the fridge
• ½ cupice water, 1 small tomato and 1 clove garlic
• For the sahawiq
• 3hot green chilies, 1 bunch coriander, 4 cloves garlic and salt
• To serve
• Tannour or Yemeni flatbread

Method

1. Brown the onion in ghee, add the lamb, garlic and hawaij and stir 8 minutes, then the tomatoes and paste.
2. Add the water and salt and simmer for 1½ hours until tender.
3. Add the potatoes, rice and zucchini and cook 20 minutes until tender and the sauce thickens slightly.
4. Drain the fenugreek, add the ice water, tomato and garlic and whisk until it becomes a light, stable white froth.
5. Grind the chilies, coriander, garlic and salt for the sahawiq.
6. Keep the saltah boiling in a stone bowl or heavy pot and pour the fenugreek froth over it immediately.
7. Serve hot with sahawiq and bread.

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