# Yemeni Fahsa with Lamb and Whipped Fenugreek

> Fenugreek must be **soaked for 4 to 6 hours and whipped with cold water** until it becomes a thick white foam. Dry ground fenugreek sinks and turns bitter — only the whipped version floats and gives the dish its creamy crown.

**Yemeni Cuisine · 400 min · 5 servings · 460 kcal per serving**

Fahsa is Yemen's most theatrical dish: lamb slow-cooked until it falls apart, shredded into its own concentrated broth, and served still bubbling in a searing-hot stone bowl.

## Ingredients


### The fenugreek
- 3 tbsp — ground fenugreek
- 2 cups — cold water for soaking

### The meat
- 800 g — lamb, cut into pieces
- 2 pieces — onions, chopped
- 5 cloves — garlic
- 3 pieces — tomatoes, grated
- 1 tbsp — Yemeni hawaij spice blend
- 1 tsp — cumin
- 1 tsp — salt
- 3 tbsp — oil

### The sahawiq
- 3 pieces — green chillies
- 2 pieces — tomatoes
- 4 cloves — garlic
- 1 bunch — fresh coriander
- 1 tsp — salt

## Method

1. **Soak the fenugreek** — Soak the ground fenugreek in cold water for **4 to 6 hours**, changing the water twice — this removes most of the bitterness.
2. **Cook the lamb** — Soften the onion and garlic in the oil, add the lamb and brown it, then the grated tomato, hawaij, cumin, salt and enough water to cover.
3. **Patience** — Simmer gently for **an hour and a half** until the meat falls apart and the broth thickens. Shred the meat in its broth with a fork or a paddle.
4. **The sahawiq** — Blitz the chillies, tomatoes, garlic, coriander and salt into a coarse relish.
5. **Whipping the fenugreek — the critical step** — Drain the fenugreek water and start whisking by hand, adding cold water in small splashes, for **10 minutes** until it turns into a thick white foam that has doubled in volume.
6. **Heat the vessel** — Heat a stone bowl (harradh) over the flame until it is fiercely hot, or use a cast-iron pot. Pour in the lamb and its broth and let it bubble.
7. **Serve** — Spread the whipped fenugreek over the bubbling lamb and spoon the sahawiq on top. Serve immediately with malooj bread — while it is still bubbling.

## Tips

- Soak the fenugreek at least 4 hours with water changes — this is what removes the bitterness.
- Whip for 10 minutes with splashes of cold water; the white foam is the sign you have succeeded.
- The vessel must be genuinely hot. Bubbling at the table is part of the dish.
- Sahawiq is spooned on top, not stirred in — each person takes as much heat as they want.

## FAQ

### What is the difference between fahsa and saltah?
Saltah is built on a vegetable and leftovers broth with little meat. Fahsa is built on lamb shredded by hand into its own concentrated broth. Both are crowned with whipped fenugreek.

### My fenugreek is bitter — what went wrong?
It was not soaked long enough or the water was not changed. Four hours of soaking with two water changes removes most of the bitterness.

### I do not have a stone bowl
A cast-iron or earthenware pot works well — what matters is that it holds heat so the dish keeps bubbling at the table.

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Source: https://hanakoleah.com/en/yemeni-cuisine/yemeni-fahsa-lamb-fenugreek
Edited by: Marwa Mohamed
Last updated: 2026-10-29