Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Fahsa
A bubbling Yemeni lamb stew served in a hot stone pot and crowned with hilbeh, whipped fenugreek foam, with hawaij spice.
Yemeni · medium · serves 4
prep 30 min · cook 150 min
~552 cal · 44g protein · 12g carbs · 36g fat · 3g fiber · 5g sugars · 14g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Fahsa is one of the most iconic dishes of Yemen, a hot, bubbling stew of shredded lamb in a rich broth spiced with hawaij, served in a searing stone pot called a madara so it arrives at the table still boiling. What makes it unmistakable is the hilbeh: soaked and then whipped with herbs, garlic and lemon into a pale, airy foam that is spooned over the top.
The tangy, slightly bitter cuts the richness of the lamb, and the whole thing is eaten family-style, scooped up with torn Yemeni bread. It is Sanaa comfort food at its most communal.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, 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 4
1 1/2 lb bone-in lamb, in chunks
2 onions, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp hawaij spice blend
1 tsp ground turmeric
3 tbsp ground
1 cup fresh cilantro
1 green chili
1 lemon, juiced
2 tbsp vegetable oil
6 cups water
to taste salt
Instructions
1
Brown the lamb in the oil, add one chopped onion, the tomatoes, garlic, hawaij and turmeric, then cover with the water and simmer 2 hours until very tender. Shred the meat and keep the broth.
2
For the hilbeh, soak the ground fenugreek in cold water for at least an hour, then drain and rinse to wash away bitterness.
3
Blend the drained fenugreek with the cilantro, remaining onion, green chili, lemon juice and a little salt, then whip with a little ice water until it triples into a pale foam.
✎ Chef’s note
Do not over-soak the fenugreek: an hour or two is enough, longer turns it harshly bitter.
4
Bring the shredded lamb and broth back to a hard boil, ideally in a heatproof stone pot, until sizzling.
5
Spoon the whipped hilbeh generously over the top and serve immediately, boiling hot, with Yemeni bread for scooping.
Sanaa home cooking.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Sana’a. Sana'a is famous for saltah, a bubbling stew crowned with whipped fenugreek froth and served still boiling in a stone pot. Yemeni bread, hot green zhoug relish, and slow-roasted lamb feed a highland kitchen at the base of the Arabian coffee trade.
🗺️
Yemen. Yemeni food is rich and communal, famous for saltah (a bubbling stew topped with fenugreek froth), slow-cooked lamb, and the flaky flatbread malawah. The fiery green relish zhug and honey-drenched sweets are national treasures.
🌍
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 Yemen
SaltahA bubbling stone-pot stew crowned with whipped fenugreek froth (hulba) and fiery green sahawiq, Yemen’s national dish.
MasoubMashed flatbread and ripe banana bound with honey and topped with cream, nuts, and dates.
MandiSmoky spiced rice and tender meat traditionally cooked in an underground oven, a celebrated dish of Yemen and the Gulf.
Browse all Yemen recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan, Blender.
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
Make it a Yemen meal
QishrDrink
Bint al-SahnDessert
MandiLunch
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Frequently asked questions
What is Fahsa?
A bubbling Yemeni lamb stew served in a hot stone pot and crowned with hilbeh, whipped fenugreek foam, with hawaij spice.
Where does Fahsa come from?
Fahsa is a Yemeni dish from Sana’a, Yemen.
Can Fahsa be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Fahsa recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Fahsa 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 count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), 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 Fahsa take to make?
About 180 minutes total (30 minutes prep, 150 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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