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Shorbat Quaker (Saudi Lamb and Oat Ramadan Soup)
Small pieces of lamb on the bone simmered with golden onion, tomato, cardamom and cinnamon until tender, then thickened with rolled oats into a smooth, peppery soup finished with a squeeze of lemon.
Saudi · easy · serves 6
prep 15 min · cook 90 min
~380 cal · 28g protein · 15g carbs · 23g fat · 3g fiber · 3g sugars · 8g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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In Saudi Arabia the soup that opens the iftar meal in Ramadan is very often an oat soup. Families call it shorbat Quaker, after the brand of oats sold across the Gulf, or shorbat hab, grain soup, and Saudipedia describes al-hab soup as a main dish on the iftar table in most provinces of the kingdom. In the Hijaz, hab soup and sambosa are the two dishes that must appear on the Ramadan table, and some cooks there make hab with barley instead of oats.
It is cooked with lamb, or sometimes chicken, cut into small pieces on the bone, since the bones give the broth its body. The meat is browned with onion, simmered with tomato and whole spices, , cinnamon and black pepper, until tender, and then oats are stirred in and cooked until they melt into a thick, gentle soup.
After a long day of fasting it is warm, filling and easy on the stomach. It is served in small bowls with a wedge of lemon, before the , sambosa and main dishes. Makkah families have their own version, shorbat al-kwaykar, seasoned with cumin.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 6
- 600 g lamb on the bone (neck or shoulder), cut into small pieces
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 medium ripe tomatoes, grated or blended
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 green pods, cracked
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1.5 litres water, plus more as needed
- 1 cup (90 g) rolled oats
- 1 lemon lemon wedges, to serve
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped, to serve, optional
Instructions
- 1Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat and cook the onion for about 5 minutes, until golden. Add the lamb and stir for 4 to 5 minutes, until browned on all sides.
- 2Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin and black pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Pour in the water, add the salt and bring to the boil, skimming off the foam.
- 3Cover and simmer gently for about 1 hour, until the lamb is tender and coming away from the bone. Fish out the cinnamon stick.✎ Chef’s noteIn a pressure cooker the lamb needs about 30 minutes.
- 4Sprinkle in the oats a little at a time, stirring, and simmer over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often so they do not catch, until the oats have softened and thickened the soup. Add hot water if it gets thicker than a creamy soup.
- 5Taste for salt and pepper. Serve hot in small bowls with lemon wedges to squeeze over, and coriander if you like.
Saudi Ramadan home tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Hejaz. For centuries pilgrims on the Hajj have passed through the Hejaz, and many stayed, which has made it the most culturally diverse region of the country. Its cooking shows it: next to local dishes such as saleeg, a creamy rice cooked in broth and milk, Hejazi kitchens adopted Central Asian mantu and Bukhari rice, Turkish borek, Yemeni mandi and mutabbaq, and South Asian biryani.
🗺️
Saudi Arabia. The national dish question is unexpectedly live. Internationally kabsa is assumed to hold the title, but in 2023 the Saudi Culinary Arts Commission named jareesh, crushed wheat cooked slowly with meat and yoghurt into something between a porridge and a stew. Kabsa itself has regional styles, Najdi, Hijazi and Hasawi, and its lineage is sometimes traced back to Yemen.
🌍
Asia. A grain line runs across the continent. Rice dominates the wet south and east, wheat the drier north and west, and the tools follow it: the wok and the steamer where rice is milled, the tandoor and the griddle where wheat is ground. Tea travels the other way, drunk green, black, salted, buttered or with milk depending how far it got from China.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Saudi Arabia
KabsaSpiced rice cooked in aromatic broth with chicken, dried lime, and a whole-spice perfume, heaped high for sharing.
MasabibSoft, holey yeasted pancakes drenched in date syrup or honey, a Hejazi and Saudi breakfast.
MutabbaqA thin folded pastry stuffed with spiced minced meat and egg, griddled crisp, a favorite Saudi street snack.
Browse all Saudi Arabia recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan.
Storing it: Soup keeps 3 to 4 days refrigerated and freezes well. Reheat gently and loosen with a little water or stock if needed.
Make it a Saudi Arabia meal
Sobia (Hejazi Ramadan Barley Drink)Drink
AreekaDessert
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Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Shorbat Quaker (Saudi Lamb and Oat Ramadan Soup)?
Small pieces of lamb on the bone simmered with golden onion, tomato, cardamom and cinnamon until tender, then thickened with rolled oats into a smooth, peppery soup finished with a squeeze of lemon.
Where does Shorbat Quaker (Saudi Lamb and Oat Ramadan Soup) come from?
Shorbat Quaker (Saudi Lamb and Oat Ramadan Soup) is a Saudi dish from Hejaz, Saudi Arabia.
Can Shorbat Quaker (Saudi Lamb and Oat Ramadan Soup) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Shorbat Quaker (Saudi Lamb and Oat Ramadan Soup) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Shorbat Quaker (Saudi Lamb and Oat Ramadan Soup) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Shorbat Quaker (Saudi Lamb and Oat Ramadan Soup) take to make?
About 105 minutes total (15 minutes prep, 90 minutes cooking), serving 6.
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