Traditional Yemeni Fahsa or Saltah

Saltah is the national dish of Yemen, featured in Sanaa . It’s a brown meat stew, cooked and served in a hot stone bowl that keeps it boiling hot for you. Everyone has their own version of saltah, lamb, beef, chicken and even vegan. It’s traditionally simmered over a flame, but it sounds like it can be nicely done in your instant pot. Saltah can have potatoes, eggs, rice, tomatoes, peppers, onions, whatever you have on hand. It’s generally straightforward: simmer your aromatics, add your spices like cumin, coriander and turmeric, then brown your meat, add water and any additional veggies, and simmer.

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Step 1

Combine coriander seed, cumin, and black pepper in a food processor and grind into a powder. You can use a mortar and pestle, of course.

Step 2

Add garlic, chilies, and salt and blend into a rough paste.

Step 3

Add cilantro and parsley one small handful at a time and continue blending into the paste. (By the time you're done, there should be no pieces of chilies or herbs larger than 1/8 inch remaining.)

Step 4

With the processor running, slowly drizzle in olive oil to form an emulsion.

Step 5

Season to taste with more salt.

Step 6

Zhug can be served immediately or stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several week

Step 7

Place ground fenugreek in a small bowl of water and let sit for at least one hour.

Step 8

Drain water.

Step 9

Whip the fenugreek by hand or using a mixer. Whip until the color has changed from brown to white and the bitter taste is gone. This should take about 10 minutes beating by hand.

Step 10

Add prepared Sahug to the fenugreek and whip in. Add more or less depending on how spicy you'd like it.

Step 11

Place dutch oven on medium heat and sauté garlic, onion, and chili pepper in oil until garlic browns and onion is translucent.

Step 12

Add cumin, coriander, turmeric, and salt.

Step 13

Add beef (or lamb or chicken) to onion mixture. Brown the meat for 5 minutes.

Step 14

Add water to the mixture and bring to a boil. Then cover, reducing heat to a low simmer.

Step 15

Cook stew for 1 - 2 hours, or until meat is tender and breaks apart

Step 16

Remove from heat and break the meat apart with a fork to get smaller shreds. The consistency of the broth should be similar to a slightly thick soup; if the broth is too thick, you may add extra water. If it's not thick enough, turn heat to medium and reduce.

Step 17

Add a few dollops of whipped holba, and serve hot with some extra Sahaug and a side of fresh bread, preferably pita or naan or similar.

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