Yemeni Saltah with Fenugreek and Lamb
Saltah is a thick meat and vegetable stew bubbled in a stone bowl (madra), topped with whipped fenugreek beaten to a white foam and a spoonful of fiery sahawiq. The fenugreek soaks for six hours and is whipped for five minutes until it doubles.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 60 min
- Total
- 90 min
- Calories
- 480
Saltah is Yemen's national dish, and the first sight of it is alarming: a bubbling stew under a cap of white foam. That foam is whipped fenugreek, and it is what gives the dish both its flavour and its texture.
Method
-
1
Soak the fenugreek
Soak the ground fenugreek in plenty of water for at least six hours, changing the water twice to draw out the bitterness. Drain it thoroughly at the end.
⏱ 5 min -
2
Whip it to foam
Whip the drained fenugreek with a whisk or hand blender for five minutes, adding water little by little, until it doubles in volume and turns into a white, cream-like foam.
⏱ 6 min -
3
Make the sahawiq
Pound the tomatoes, chillies, garlic and coriander in a mortar or blitz them briefly into a coarse relish, then season with salt.
-
4
Cook the stew
Brown the lamb with the onion, add the tomato, hawaij and potato with water to cover, and simmer gently for forty-five minutes until it reduces to a thick stew.
⏱ 50 min -
5
Assemble and serve
Pour the stew into a hot stone bowl or heavy pan and let it bubble, spread the whipped fenugreek over the surface and spoon sahawiq into the centre. Serve it still bubbling, with bread.
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Tips that actually matter
- Changing the soaking water twice is what removes the bitterness. One change is not enough.
- The stew must be thick, not soupy — the fenugreek has to sit on top rather than sink into it.
- Saltah is genuinely served bubbling. A stone bowl holds the heat long enough to reach the table.
People also ask
My fenugreek is still bitter.
It was under-soaked, or the water was not changed. Soak for eight hours with three water changes.
It would not foam up.
Either it was under-whipped or you added too much water. Whip for the full five minutes, adding water a spoonful at a time.
Can I make it without meat?
Yes — saltah khudar is a well-known version, built on a thick vegetable stew instead of lamb.
Cook mode
Yemeni Saltah with Fenugreek and Lamb
-
1
Soak the fenugreek
Soak the ground fenugreek in plenty of water for at least six hours, changing the water twice to draw out the bitterness. Drain it thoroughly at the end.
-
2
Whip it to foam
Whip the drained fenugreek with a whisk or hand blender for five minutes, adding water little by little, until it doubles in volume and turns into a white, cream-like foam.
-
3
Make the sahawiq
Pound the tomatoes, chillies, garlic and coriander in a mortar or blitz them briefly into a coarse relish, then season with salt.
-
4
Cook the stew
Brown the lamb with the onion, add the tomato, hawaij and potato with water to cover, and simmer gently for forty-five minutes until it reduces to a thick stew.
-
5
Assemble and serve
Pour the stew into a hot stone bowl or heavy pan and let it bubble, spread the whipped fenugreek over the surface and spoon sahawiq into the centre. Serve it still bubbling, with bread.
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