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1
Brown the Lamb
10 minutes
Medium-high heat, about 190°C (375°F)
Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the lamb chunks in a single layer and brown them for about 10 minutes, turning once, until deep golden on the outside. Work in two batches if the pot is crowded, so the meat sears instead of steaming.
Do not move the lamb for the first 3–4 minutes; that still contact is what builds the brown crust and the flavour of the broth.
Done when: Lamb is browned and crusted on the outside; the inside is still pink — it finishes in the simmer.
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2
Build the Maraq Broth
50 minutes
Gentle simmer, about 95°C (200°F)
Lower the heat, add the onion and garlic and cook 3 minutes until soft. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, chilli, cumin, coriander, turmeric, pepper and half the salt, and cook 2 minutes until fragrant. Pour in the 1,000 ml water, scrape up the browned bits, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to the gentlest simmer, and cook 50 minutes until the lamb is nearly tender.
Keep the simmer lazy — a few bubbles breaking the surface. A hard boil toughens the lamb and clouds the broth.
Done when: Lamb yields easily to a fork; the broth tastes rich and lightly spiced.
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3
Add the Potatoes
20 minutes
Gentle simmer, about 95°C (200°F)
Add the potato chunks and push them under the broth. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender all the way through and the edges are just starting to soften into the broth.
Cut the potatoes big — small dice dissolve completely and the stew loses its chunks.
Done when: A knife slides through a potato chunk with no resistance.
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4
Ribbon in the Eggs
5 minutes
Gentle simmer, about 95°C (200°F)
Turn the heat to low. While stirring the stew slowly in one direction, pour the beaten eggs in a thin stream. Keep stirring gently for 1 minute so the egg sets in fine ribbons, then cook 4 minutes more. Taste and add the remaining salt.
Pour slowly and stir the whole time; dumping the eggs in at once makes rubbery lumps.
Done when: Fine golden ribbons of egg are visible through the broth; the stew is thick enough to coat a spoon.
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5
Whip the Hilbeh
10 minutes
No heat — room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Drain the soaked fenugreek well, then put it in a small bowl with the lemon juice and 2–3 tablespoons of cold water. Whisk hard by hand, or beat with a hand mixer, for about 10 minutes until it turns from brown to pale cream and stands in soft, mousse-like peaks. Add a splash more cold water if it is too thick to spoon.
Cold water is the secret: warm water makes the fenugreek gluey instead of foamy, and the colour change tells you the bitterness has lifted.
Done when: Pale, airy foam that holds soft peaks and tastes mildly bitter with a hint of maple.
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6
Assemble in the Hot Stone Pot
5 minutes
High heat, about 220°C (425°F) for the pot
Heat a stone pot (madara or haradha), or a heavy cast-iron pot, over high heat for 5 minutes until very hot. Ladle the bubbling stew in, then spoon the hilbeh over the top in generous dollops — do not stir it in. The stew should keep bubbling around the foam. Scatter with cilantro, check the lamb is steaming hot through to at least 74°C (165°F), and carry the pot straight to the table with flatbread for scooping.
Heat the pot first and work fast: the drama of saltah is the stew still bubbling when it reaches the table.
Done when: Stew bubbling at the edges, pale hilbeh floating on top, lamb tender and steaming hot.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the pot in the middle of the table while it is still bubbling, with torn pieces of warm flatbread for scooping and a small bowl of sahawiq on the side. Each person takes lamb, potato and broth, folds in a little hilbeh, and eats with the bread.
Yemen
1h 55m
France
Vietnam