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Hulbat marak
Lamb broth with whipped fenugreek
Hulbat marak: Harari lamb broth crowned with whipped fenugreek, eaten with warm flatbread
Inside the old walled city of Harar, cooking carries the flavours of centuries of trade with Arabia, and hulbat marak shows it clearly. A light, golden lamb broth, scented with cumin, turmeric and cardamom, is ladled into bowls and topped with a spoonful of hulbat: fenugreek soaked, then whipped with lemon and green chilli into a pale, frothy cream. Torn flatbread goes in to soak up the broth, and the slightly bitter, tangy foam slowly melts into the soup as you eat. It is warming, delicate and not spicy at all. Chef's tip: soak the fenugreek for at least 2 hours and pour off the water; that is what keeps the topping mellow rather than harshly bitter.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the broth
- 1 ¾ lb lamb neck or shoulder on the bonecut into 5 cm pieces
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 4 garlic clovescrushed
- 1 tomatograted
- ¾ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 6 ¼ cups water
- 1 ½ tsp salt
For the hulbat
- 2 tbsp ground fenugreek
- 1 cup cold waterfor soaking
- 4 tbsp ice-cold water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 green chillivery finely chopped
- 1 garlic clovecrushed
- 1 pinch salt
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What you'll need
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Stir 2 tbsp ground fenugreek into 1 cup cold water and leave for at least 2 hours, or overnight in the fridge, until it settles into a thick jelly at the bottom of the glass.
120 minStep 2: Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a large pot over a medium heat and cook 1 onion for 5 minutes until soft. Add 4 garlic cloves, ¾ tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp ground cumin and ½ tsp ground cardamom and stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
6 minStep 3: Add 1 ¾ lb lamb neck or shoulder on the bone and 1 tomato and turn the meat in the spices for 4 minutes, until it has lost its raw colour.
4 minStep 4: Pour in 6 ¼ cups water and bring to the boil, skimming off the foam. Lower the heat and simmer gently, partly covered, for 1¼–1½ hours, until the lamb is very tender and comes away from the bone. Boiling it hard is the common mistake; it makes the broth cloudy and greasy.
85 minStep 5: Season the broth with 1 ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper. Spoon off any excess fat from the surface.
Step 6: Carefully pour off and discard the yellow water from the fenugreek. Put the paste in a deep bowl with 4 tbsp ice-cold water and beat with an electric whisk for 4–5 minutes until pale, light and frothy.
5 minStep 7: Beat in 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 green chilli, 1 garlic clove and 1 pinch salt.
Step 8: Ladle the hot broth and lamb into bowls and top each with a large spoonful of hulbat. Serve at once with warm flatbread to tear into the broth.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 430 kcal
- Protein
- 33 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fat
- 29 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does hulbat marak take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 100 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 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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