A Yemeniyah's Recipes

I love love love goat or lamb heads. It’s my favorite part of the animal. I know, I’m weird! My Mom told me that when she was pregnant with me that was all she craved. Yeah! That was me in there tee hee hee ! Well, this is how I like to make it. You will need:

1) a clean goat’s head meaning it’s been skinned, eyes removed, brain has been taken out (I like to make another dish with the brain and here is the recipe https://yemeniyah.com/2012/01/14/mokh-sheepgoat-s-brain/ ) . I like to cut the head in two equal halves, horizontally.

2) 3 tomatoes placed in hot water and then peeled , seeded and chopped

3) 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper or any red hot chilly powder that you like

4) 1/4 tsp of cumin

5) 1/4 tsp of coriander

6) 1/8 of a tsp of turmeric

7) salt to taste

8 ) 1/8 tsp of black pepper

9) 1 tablespoon of tomato paste

10) 6 tablespoons of Olive Oil

11) one onion diced

12) Cilantro for garnish

Alright, let’s start! Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. I first took a frying pan and added the olive oil and under medium high heat i took the two goat head halves and browned them on each side. I took them out and placed the onions and sautéed them. Then I added the tomatoes and let them cook for about 3 minutes. Then all the spices –cumin, coriander, turmeric, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and salt. Let that cook for about 2 minutes, then add the tomato paste and add a cup of water. I prefer to add boiling hot water that I keep in a kettle on the side while I am cooking. After about 3 minutes add the goat head halves , add more water to cover them completely (if your frying pan is not deep enough then transfer to an oven dish), cover with foil and place in the oven. Once you hear it bubbling lower the temperature to 350 and let bake for an hour to an hour and a half. The only meat that needs to be tender is on the jawline of the goat’s head. Once that is tender then it is done. The sauce should be nice and thick, but not dry. Place on a serving platter, garnish with cilantro and serve with toasted french bread. Enjoy!