No one knows quite how the Jewish community came to be in Yemen, but it is thought that they were there from approximately the 3rd Century. In the late 1800’s a mass immigration to Israel occurred when the community faced persecution, bringing with them their rich culture of spices, flavors, traditions and of course recipes.
There are many variations on this traditional Friday night shabbat soup, but they will always contain vegetables, marrow bones, beef, or chicken and of course the famous Yemenite spice Hawaijj. Often served with zhug or spicy hilbe which is made by soaking fenugreek seeds and pounding them with chillies along with lachuch bread which is a sort of crumpet pancake to dunk in and soak up all the delicious flavour.
Ingredients
Servings 4
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 pound stew meat cut into cubes
- 2 marrow bones
- 3 carrots chopped
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- 1 tablespoon Hawaij
- 3 ½ cups chicken or beef stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 potato chopped
Nutritional Facts
Nutrition Facts
Yemenite Soup Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
497
% Daily Value*
Fat
29
g
45
%
Saturated Fat
3
g
19
%
Trans Fat
0.01
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
2
g
Monounsaturated Fat
6
g
Cholesterol
77
mg
26
%
Sodium
401
mg
17
%
Potassium
1035
mg
30
%
Carbohydrates
24
g
8
%
Fiber
3
g
13
%
Sugar
7
g
8
%
Protein
34
g
68
%
Vitamin A
7720
IU
154
%
Vitamin C
16
mg
19
%
Calcium
56
mg
6
%
Iron
4
mg
22
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add meat and marrow bones and sear on all sides until golden brown and slightly crusty, about 6 minutes.
- Add carrots and onions and mix well. Add tomato paste and mix to coat. Add hawaij and mix again.
- Add broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
- Cover and lower temp to simmer for 1 hour. Skim off anything that has risen to the surface and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Add potatoes and cover for 30 minutes.
- Serve with schug and hilbe, and warm challah or lachuch.
For goodness sake! I've been making this soup forever. I mean, since I was thirteen and I'm 71 now. I didn't know it was Yemenite. At that time, I didn't even know Yemen existed. Really good, especially when you catch a bug or something. It's healing.