Yemen – Saltah
If you don’t have a pressure cooker, don’t fret, use a Dutch oven and you’ll be set. If you have never had fenugreek this is the way to try it. This soup is light, aromatic and very satisfying. Besides the wonderful taste, it feels like it is healthy for you. This would make a great lunch or light supper.
Saltah Ingredients
1 lb lamb stew, cut into pieces
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 green hot pepper, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
2 eggs, beaten
Salt
Neutral oil
A few tablespoons of frothy hulba
Frothy Hulba
2 tblsp of powdered fenugreek
salt to taste
juice of one lemon or lime
1/2 tomato [not over-riped]
green chilly pepper [amount will depend on how hot/spicy you like it]
1 clove garlic
2 tbslp of cilantro
Saltah Instructions
In a pressure cooker, sauté garlic, onion and hot pepper in a little oil until the onion is translucent. Add cumin, coriander, turmeric and salt. Add the lamb to the onion mixture. Brown the meat for 5 minutes.
Add about 5 cups of water to the mixture and lock the pressure cooker. Bring the cooker up to pressure, and reduce heat to low/medium to keep the pressure steady. Cook for about 40 minutes. The meat should be tender and break easily. Note: It is also possible to cook the meat in a Dutch oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until meat is tender.
Remove from heat and open the pressure cooker after reducing the pressure under water or by waiting for the cooker to cool off. Break the meat into small pieces with a fork. The consistency should be similar to a thick soup. If there is not enough stock, add a little water.
Pour the meat stew in a stone pot (haradha) or a cast iron skillet. Add the rice and cook until bubbly. At that time, add the beaten eggs, then a few spoonfuls of whipped hulba and serve hot with Yemeni flat bread or pita.
Hulba
Step 1: soak one tblsp of ground fenugreek in water, preferrably over night. Why? It gets rid of the bitterness of the fenugreek and that’s how our mother’s taught us to make it.
Step 2: After you have left it to soak overnight – throw away the water and take the fenugreek paste (yes it has turned into a paste like mixture) and place in a blender.
Step 3: Add one tomato (preferably still a little hard–not ripe and mushy), a clove of garlic, 3 tablspoon of cilantro chopped, 1 green chilly (or less if you like), juice of one whole lemon, salt to taste.
Step 4: blend until it is a frothy consistency.
Step 5: Pour into a bowl and serve with bread. If it is too thick, thin with more lemon. Some use vinegar.
Original recipes found here:
Saltah
Marty Made It 