Sakhina - Yemenite Sabbath Stew with homemade fenugreek

👨‍🍳 Method

For the homemade fenugreek ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 1
   Soak the fenugreek seeds in water 12 hours.

   Bowl
2. 2
   Drain the fenugreek seeds.

   Colander
3. 3
   Grind the fenugreek seeds in a blender into a thick paste.

   Blender
4. 4
   Whip the hilbeh with a little water until it doubles in volume.

   Whisk
5. 5
   Add and mix well. Season with salt and black pepper.

For the Fried onion

1. 6
   Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat.

   StovePot
2. 7
   Add the onion and fry for 8–10 minutes, stirring, until the onion turns golden.

   Stove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 8
   Add the garlic and fry about 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   Stove

   💡Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. Add it only after the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells fragrant.

To assemble

1. 9
   Add the lamb shoulder and fry, until seared on all sides.

   Stove
2. 10
   Add the lentils to the pot, and place the potatoes around the lamb shoulder.
3. 11
   Add the fenugreek, turmeric, cumin, salt and black pepper and pour in the water until it covers everything.
4. 12
   Bring to a boil.

   Stove
5. 13
   Turn down' to the lowest heat', cover and simmer 8–10 hours, until the meat falls apart.

   StoveLid

   💡Toward the end of cooking, check the water in the pot; if it's low, add only boiling water, so the hamin doesn't cool down in the middle of cooking.

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.