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Shafoot (Yemeni Flatbread in Herbed Yogurt)

Spongy lahoh flatbreads soaked in a cold, green yogurt and buttermilk sauce blended with garlic, chili, coriander, mint and spring onion, topped with pomegranate seeds.
Yemeni · medium · serves 6
prep 25 min · cook 20 min · plus 1 h 30 min hands-off time
~247 cal · 9g protein · 43g carbs · 4g fat · 2g fiber · 8g sugars · 2g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Spongy flatbreads soaked in a pale green herbed yogurt sauce in a deep dish, scattered with pomegranate seeds and mint
AI-generated illustration
Shafoot is a cold starter eaten widely in the north of Yemen, above all during Ramadan, when a big dish of it waits in the fridge for the evening meal. It is cool, sharp and filling.
It is built on lahoh, the spongy, bubbly Yemeni flatbread cooked on one side only, which is laid in a deep dish and drowned in a sauce of yogurt and buttermilk (in Yemen, haqeen) blended with garlic, green chili, cumin, coriander, mint and spring onion, or seasoned with a spoonful of sahawiq, the Yemeni green chili relish. The bread drinks up the sauce as it chills until it is soft all the way through.
It is finished with pomegranate seeds or green grapes. Yemenite Jewish families in Israel kept the dish and serve it at Shavuot, the festival of dairy food.
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Make it yours

✓ Naturally vegetarian and nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
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

Serves 6
  • 250 g (about 2 cups) all-purpose flour (for the lahoh)
  • 1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt (for the lahoh)
  • 450 ml lukewarm water (for the lahoh)
  • 1 tsp , for the pan
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 to 2 green chili
  • 1 bunch (about 40 g) fresh coriander
  • 1 small bunch (about 15 g) fresh mint leaves
  • 1 bunch spring onions, green parts
  • 4 radishes, optional
  • 1 small ripe tomato
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 500 g plain whole-milk yogurt
  • 250 ml buttermilk or laban
  • 1 lemon lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt (for the sauce)
  • about 1/2 cup cold water, to thin
  • 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds or halved green grapes, to finish

Instructions

  • 1
    Make the lahoh batter: whisk the flour, yeast, sugar, salt and lukewarm water into a smooth, pourable batter like thin pancake batter. Cover and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, until the top is covered in bubbles.
  • 2
    Heat a non-stick or lightly oiled pan over medium heat. Pour in half a ladle of batter and swirl it into a round about 20 cm across. Cook on one side only for 2 to 3 minutes, covering the pan for the last 30 seconds, until the top is dry and full of holes and the base is lightly golden. Stack under a towel and repeat to make 6 to 8.
    ✎ Chef’s note
    Do not flip lahoh. The holes on the top are what soak up the sauce.
  • 3
    Meanwhile make the sauce: blend the garlic, chili, coriander, mint, spring onions, radishes, tomato and cumin with a splash of water to a smooth green paste.
  • 4
    Whisk the yogurt, buttermilk, lemon juice and salt together until smooth, then stir in the green paste and add cold water until the sauce is as thin as pouring cream. Taste for salt, lemon and chili.
  • 5
    Spread a ladle of sauce over the bottom of a deep dish, lay in a layer of lahoh, and ladle over enough sauce to cover. Repeat until the bread is used up, finishing with sauce. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes so the bread soaks it up.
  • 6
    Scatter with pomegranate seeds or grapes and serve cold, with any extra sauce on the side.
Northern Yemeni Ramadan tradition.

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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination

📍
Sana’a. The stone pot does real work. A madra carved from soapstone holds heat well enough that the stew keeps bubbling for minutes after it arrives, and bread is torn and dipped straight into it rather than anything being served onto a plate. This is highland cooking, done at over 2,000 metres.
🗺️
Yemen. The green relish Israelis call zhug is sahawiq or bisbas in Yemen, and it is chilli, coriander, garlic and cardamom pounded fresh rather than jarred. Bint al-sahn is the layered honey bread, brushed with clarified butter between sheets, and the honey poured over it is a serious export, sidr honey in particular fetching prices that surprise outsiders.
🌍
Asia. Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, and its food spans the delicate seasonality of Japanese washoku, the chili-fired curries of India and Thailand, and the wheat-and-lamb traditions of Central Asia. Rice, noodles, soy, and fermentation recur across its regions, while ancient spice routes and religious traditions shaped distinct grammars of flavor. Whether from a street-cart wok or a monastery kitchen, eating is deeply communal and ritual-rich.
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: Blender, Whisk.
Storing it: Best the day it is made. Wrap well and refresh in a warm oven, or freeze and reheat straight from frozen.

Make it a Yemen meal

QishrDrink
Bint al-SahnDessert

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Frequently asked questions

What is Shafoot (Yemeni Flatbread in Herbed Yogurt)?

Spongy lahoh flatbreads soaked in a cold, green yogurt and buttermilk sauce blended with garlic, chili, coriander, mint and spring onion, topped with pomegranate seeds.

Where does Shafoot (Yemeni Flatbread in Herbed Yogurt) come from?

Shafoot (Yemeni Flatbread in Herbed Yogurt) is a Yemeni dish from Sana’a, Yemen.

Can Shafoot (Yemeni Flatbread in Herbed Yogurt) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?

This Shafoot (Yemeni Flatbread in Herbed Yogurt) 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 Shafoot (Yemeni Flatbread in Herbed Yogurt) 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 Shafoot (Yemeni Flatbread in Herbed Yogurt) take to make?

About 2 h 15 min in all: 25 minutes prep and 20 minutes cooking, plus 1 h 30 min of hands-off waiting the method needs, serving 6.

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