Yemenite Recipes

[jhirshon]

In response to a call for Yemenite recipes, I will post several I have collected or created - others feel free to add here, as the cuisine deserves better representation.

cheers, JH

Edited April 29, 2006 by jhirshon (log)

[jhirshon]

A tasty and unusual departure from the norm, traditionally served by Yemeni Jews on the High Holy Days - do give it a try (and you don't have to wait till the High Holy Days either!) Wink

Allez Cuisine - JH

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The Hirshon Yemenite Spicy Chicken Soup

(Modified from a recipe originally published by Joan Nathan)

3 celery stalks, cut into large dice

1 medium zucchini, peeled and cubed

3 carrots, cut into large dice

1 large tomato, almost quartered but not cut apart at bottom

3 potatoes, peeled and diced, kept in cold water

3 pounds cubed beef stew meat (fat removed)

3 pieces (about 2 pounds) marrow bones

3 pounds of bone-in chicken breast, cut into pieces by the butcher

Up to 5 quarts water (JH note - be sure and use bottled water - not even all these spices can overcome the carcinogens in San Jose water!)

12 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly cracked

9 very small onions, peeled and cut in half (the Italian cipolini onions are perfect here - they are a small, flat onion similar to pearl onions)

1 large white turnip, peeled and cut into pieces

1 cup bottled, cooked chick peas, drained

8 green onions, coarsely chopped

1 small bunch fresh parsley, leaves only

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon hawayij (Yemenite spices), or to taste - Hawayij Recipe Source: "Yemenite-Jewish Food and Culture" (in Danish), by Benjamin Katzir Papyrus, Horsens 1993

2 tbsp black peppercorns

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tsp cardamom seeds

1 tsp saffron

2 tsp turmeric

Grind the spices together thoroughly, and store them in an airtight jar.

Place the beef, marrow bones and chicken in a large kettle with enough bottled water to cover. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, until a froth forms. Remove the meat and bones and discard the water. Clean the kettle.

Put the beef and bones back in the kettle and cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil again. Lower the heat and add the garlic, onions, turnip, and green onions. Cook, covered, about 1 1/2 hours, or until the meat seems fairly tender.

Remove the marrow bones, add the chicken, cover, and simmer another 20 minutes. Let cool and refrigerate overnight.

Bring the soup to a boil. Add the celery, zucchini, carrots, tomato, chick peas and potatoes. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer another 20 minutes. Just before serving, add the parsley, salt, and hawayij and cook, covered, for a few minutes.

Eat by dipping a good crusty bread into the soup, scooping up the meat and vegetables.

[jhirshon]

The Hirshon Zhoug

1 cup of fresh Coriander, including stems

1 cup of fresh parsely, including stems

7 (use more or less depending on your spice tolerance) Jalapenos, stem ends removed

3 serranos, stemmed

8 garlic cloves

3/4 teaspoon caraway seeds

2 teaspoons freshly ground cumin

2 teaspons freshly ground coriander

Seeds from 5 cardamom pods

1/2 teaspoon salt (add more if needed)

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper (add more if needed)

About 3 tablespoons of olive oil (add more if needed)

Finely grind the cardamom pods and caraway seeds in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, then sift to remove the husks.

Grind all in a food processor to a paste - cover and store in the refrigerator.

[Pam R]

Jhirshon - these recipes are wonderful - thank you for sharing them. you might want to post them in recipeGullet so they will be easy to find in the future.

I have a couple of questions...

One of your recipes calls for hilbe. I've started selling Hilbe in my store, but have no idea what to do with it! Is it a typical Yemenite ingredient? Do you have other suggestions for using it?

Any thoughts on jachnun? As in... how do I cook it?

Thanks again,

Pam

[Swisskaese]

Jhirshon  - these recipes are wonderful - thank you for sharing them.  you might want to post them in recipeGullet so they will be easy to find in the future.

I have a couple of questions...

One of your recipes calls for hilbe.  I've started selling Hilbe in my store, but have no idea what to do with it!  Is it a typical Yemenite ingredient?  Do you have other suggestions for using it?

Any thoughts on jachnun?  As in... how do I cook it?

Thanks again,

Pam

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Pam,

Are you making jachnun from scratch? If you making the ones that come frozen, follow the directions on the package. You should put them in a dish and cover them with foil and cook them at 180C for 20-30 minutes.

If you are making them from scratch, and I don't recommend this unless you take some lessons, then they are made the day before and put in an 90C oven and baked overnight until they are brown.

Most people here, including Yemenite families, buy ready made. I have to be honest with you; I do not care for jachnun, but it is very popular when they serve it at the office cafeteria.

Jachnun is typically served with a spicy tomato sauce called Matbucha and a roasted egg.

Hilbe is fenugreek paste. Studies have been done on this and it may reduce cholesterol and help balance diabetes. It is also known as Yeminite Viagra.

Hilbe is Yemenite curry. It is an ingredient in Zhug, they put it in soups. Basically they put in in everything because it is seen as a cure all that keeps them healthy. And let me tell you that there is something to this because my hairdresser's grandfather is a gazillion years old and he is still going strong.

[Pam R]

Thanks Michelle! I am talking about the frozen jachnun, not from scratch. The problem is that the instructions are all in Hebrew, and though I speak some - I'm not completely up to following the instructions!

A couple of my customers told me to bake this stuff overnight, but I was not sure about the container to bake it in - whether to cover it, etc.

I have Moroccan Matbucha in the cooler . .. I think I need to try baking some jachnun soon. Is it similar to malawah?

As for the hilbe - the stuff I have is powdered - I'm still not sure what to try it with. I know you say they use it in everything... but everything?

I'm learning so much these days - thanks!

[Swisskaese]

You can make a dip, a sauce, put it in soup, put it in meat and chicken dishes. I will ask a couple of friends of mine what their mother uses it for.

Remember that hilbe is fenugreek, so you could also use it in Indian dishes and other dishes that call for fenugreek. Indian dishes recommend grinding the fenugreek fresh, but I think you could use this, too.

The malawah is similiar and frankly I prefer it over the jachnun simply because it is less doughy.

My cousin used to sell jachnun and he put it in a casserole dish and covered it and baked it in the oven overnight. He used to buy it from a Yemenite woman that made them from scratch. He had a jachnun delivery service in Jerusalem.

[Pam R]

You can make a dip, a sauce, put it in soup, put it in meat and chicken dishes. I will ask a couple of friends of mine what their mother uses it for.

Remember that hilbe is fenugreek, so you could also use it in Indian dishes and other dishes that call for fenugreek. Indian dishes recommend grinding the fenugreek fresh, but I think you could use this, too.

The malawah is similiar and frankly I prefer it over the jachnun simply because it is less doughy.

My cousin used to sell jachnun and he put it in a casserole dish and covered it and baked it in the oven overnight. He used to buy it from a Yemenite woman that made them from scratch. He had a jachnun delivery service in Jerusalem.

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Ok. Still a little concerned about the hilbe... research tells me it should be soaked and once a 'jelly' forms, pour off the water and use in a recipe. I'll look up some actual recipes on this one.

I've tried the malawah - and liked it. Though I find it rich and can't imagine eating it often. I'm going to toss some jachnun in the oven this week and see what happens. Do you think I can bake it in a foil pan, covered tightly with foil? I don't actually have a jachnun pot...

I love the idea of a jachnun delivery service!

[Swisskaese]

I think the foil pan should work just fine.

I have never tried using hilbe, so I am not sure, but I thought the jelly and the soaking was if you are starting with whole fenugreek. I maybe wrong. I will have to find out.

Edited April 30, 2006 by Swisskaese (log)

[ayana]

Some advice about hilbeh - smell some fenugreek in the jar. If you think you might like a sauce that tastes like concentrated fenugreek, go for it, because hilbeh is very very good for you. Supposedly Yemeni people have the lowest rate of heart disease in the Third World because of it. Unfortunately, despite my dad's best efforts since I was a little kid to get me to "acquire" this very acquired taste, I just can't stand the stuff.

Mellawach is also available in a frozen version, and it's pretty darn good.

[Pam R]

I've been introduced to a lot of these items over the last few months - but haven't had a chance to try all them. I now sell frozen malawah and jachnun - ground hilbe and things like matbucha, harissa, schug, etc. I like to try all of the new items I carry - so i can help guide my customers who know about as much about them as I do . Now that Pesach is over, it's time to try some more.

I have cooked up some of the malawah and it's great - but rich. I'm going to bake some of the jachnun soon to see how I like it.

[FoodMan]

moderator note: Thread locked for review of potential copyright violations

[FoodMan]

moderator note: Thread is now open for posts, please continue the discussion

[anzu]

I have used powdered hilbeh, and it did form a jelly once mixed with water.

However, it tasted awful - and I'm a big fan of fenugreek in all its forms. Whole seeds soaked overnight to soften, the excess water poured off, and then ground were far superior in taste.

It could well be that the powder I bought was stale, but it tasted bad enough that I haven't been tempted to buy the powder a second time to find out.

There have been a couple of threads on fenugreek in the past. Here is the link to a recipe I gave earlier. Link

[Pam R]

There have been a couple of threads on fenugreek in the past. Here is the link to a recipe I gave earlier. Link

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Thanks for the link!

I baked some jachnun yesterday.... i'm assuming it turned out as it was supposed to. I'd rather have malawah.

[Swisskaese]

There have been a couple of threads on fenugreek in the past. Here is the link to a recipe I gave earlier. Link

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Thanks for the link!

I baked some jachnun yesterday.... i'm assuming it turned out as it was supposed to. I'd rather have malawah.

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I spoke to my Yemenite friend and he said that you soak the hilbeh for three hours in water, drain the water and then stir with a whisk until completely smooth. He said it does not work by putting it in a blender or a cuisinart. Then you add a tablespoon of zchug, lemon juice, cilantro, parsley to taste.

Soon , I will show you a bakery that makes jachnun, malawah and kurdana.

He also told me that the key ingredient in Yemenite soup is cow head meat. I found a butcher that sells the meat without the head. I would not be able to do it myself.

Edited May 5, 2006 by Swisskaese (log)

[Miriam Kresh]

My late father, who suffered from heart disease, used to swear by "marak regel" - cow's or calve's foot soup. I think it was all the spices, especially turmeric, that make the circulation move and make a person feel warm. I looked everywhere for a recipe, but couldn't find one - so Dad would just go out to lunch at a small Yemenite eatery downtown. I wish I could have cooked that for Dad... but I'd still be interested in that recipe, if anyone has it.

Miriam