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Fahsa
Shredded lamb stew with fenugreek
Fahsa (فحسة): Sana'a's shredded lamb stew bubbling in a stone pot under whipped fenugreek froth
Fahsa is the lunch of Sana'a, Yemen: in the old city's restaurants it arrives volcanically hot in a black stone pot called a madara, still bubbling, with a cap of whipped fenugreek on top and a stack of flatbread for scooping. Lamb is slow-cooked until it shreds, then fried hard with its thick broth, tomato and hawaij, so it is meatier and drier than saltah, the broth-based cousin already on this site. The fenugreek froth adds a bitter, savoury edge against the rich meat. The usual mistake is serving it lukewarm: fahsa should still be spitting when it reaches the table. Chef's tip: heat a small cast-iron pan in the oven while you cook, then finish the fahsa in it for that sizzling stone-pot effect.
- Total time
- 180 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the lamb
- 2 ¼ lb lamb shoulder on the bonein large pieces
- 2 onionschopped
- 5 garlic clovescrushed
- 3 tomatoesgrated
- 1 green chillichopped
- 2 tsp salt
- 6 ¼ cups water
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
For the fenugreek froth
- 2 tbsp ground fenugreek seeds
- ¾ cup cold water
- ½ lemonjuiced
- 1 handful fresh coriander
To serve
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (6)
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Soak 2 tbsp ground fenugreek seeds in ¾ cup cold water for at least 2 hours, then pour off the water; the paste underneath will look like soft jelly.
120 minStep 2: Put 2 ¼ lb lamb shoulder on the bone, 1 onions, 2 tsp hawaij spice mix for soup, 2 tsp salt and 6 ¼ cups water in a large pot. Bring to the boil, skim, cover and simmer until the meat falls from the bone.
120 minStep 3: Lift out the lamb, discard the bones and shred the meat with two forks. Keep 500 ml of the broth (the rest makes a good soup for another day).
Step 4: Heat the oven with a small cast-iron pan or stone pot inside to 450°F.
15 minStep 5: Whip the fenugreek paste with a whisk or electric beater, adding a few drops of cold water at a time, until it turns pale and fluffy. Blend in ½ lemon, 1 handful fresh coriander and 1 garlic clove with a pinch of salt.
8 minStep 6: Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the rest of 1 onions until golden, then add 5 garlic cloves, 1 green chilli and 3 tomatoes and cook until thick.
10 minStep 7: Add the shredded lamb and the reserved broth and boil hard, stirring, until most of the liquid has gone and the mixture is thick and sticky.
10 minStep 8: Carefully take the hot pan out of the oven, tip in the fahsa so it sizzles, spoon the fenugreek froth on top and serve at once with 4 Yemeni flatbread or large flatbreads. Warn everyone that the pan is very hot.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 690 kcal
- Protein
- 48 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 32 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does fahsa take?
- About 180 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 150 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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