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Archive for the ‘Entrees’ Category

Yemeni Fahsa — فحسة

Posted in Yemeni Dishes on July 1, 2011| 29 Comments »


Step 1: To make Yemeni FAHSA boil 1/4 of a pound of lamb with bones until the meat falls off the bone. Keep aside. Then place the Madra (Yemeni traditional dish made from stone) on high heat. Add 1 tblsp of oil, and 1 diced medium onion.

Step 2: Add 2 cloves minced garlic and some chopped jalapeno peppers and saute

Step 3: Add 2 tblsp of chopped cilantro. Let cook for a minute or two.

Step 4: Add some red chillie sauce [we usually have this on hand in the refrigerator] and let saute for another minutes.

Step 5: Add half a cup of diced green bell peppers.

Step 6: Separate the bone from the meat, and add to the mixture. Break the meat up further, with a wooden spoon.

Step 7: Let cook!

Step 8: Add a cup of water and boil.

Step 9: Add 1 tsp of tomato paste. Mix it in well.

Step 10: All mixed in!

Step 11: Add another cup of water. Let boil.

Step 12: Top it off with Hulba [fenugreek] and let it cook for a minute. Recipe for Hulba:  This is a dip very popular in Yemeni dishes. You will need ground fenugreek for this recipe. Be careful one tblsp of ground fenugreek goes a long way. You will need to soak one tblsp of ground fenugreek in water, preferrably over night. Why do you soak it, well first so that you can get rid of the bitterness of the fenugreek and second that is part of the way it is prepared.Well, after you have left it overnight to soak in water–throw away the water and take the fenugreek paste (yes it has turned into a paste like mixture) and place in a liquidizer. Add one tomato (preferably still a little hard–not ripe and mushy), a clove of garlic, 3 tblsp of cilantro chopped, 1 green chilly (of less if you like), juice of one whole lemon, salt to taste. Usually in Yemen, women mix with a special wooden tool for the purpose–and nowadays they also use a electic hand mixer so it turns out nice and frothy.

Step 13: Serve hot, with bread. Goes well with wheat pita bread.

Enjoy!

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Lamya’s Macaroni with Bachamel Sauce — مكرونة بالباشاميل

Posted in Pasta on June 14, 2011| 4 Comments »


I have gone through many a recipe for this, but believe I am settling on my version. Pretty easy and DELISH! The ingredients are for 3-4 servings.

You will need:

1) Half a packet of angel hair pasta [am not a big fan of pasta, so this is just perfect for people like me] half cooked, so al dente.

2) 1 cup of ground beef

3) 2 medium potatoes –cut into thick round slices

4) 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

5) 1/4 tsp of cumin powder

6) Salt to taste

7)   1/2 medium onion finely sliced

8 ) 1 tblsp of tomato paste

9) 1/2 cup of shredded Mozarella cheese

10) Half a ball of fresh Mozarella cheese, sliced into thin rounds

11)  1 tbslp of Olive Oil

12) 2 cloves of minced garlic

For the Bachamel sauce:

1) 3 tblsp of flour

2) 2 cups of milk

3) 1 tblsp of butter [and 1 tsp of ghee optional]

4) Salt to taste

5) Pepper

6) little nutmeg–just a pinch

You will be making 3 separate parts, that you will finally assemble. First make the Bachamel sauce. So in a saucepan melt the butter under medium heat and then add the flour and whisk until it turns into a thick creamy mixture. Then slowly add the milk and continue whisking, and let cook whisking continuously until it turns into a thick mixture–thick that it coats a spoon if dipped inside. Add the pepper and nutmeg and mix in. Take off the heat and leave aside.

Now time for the ground beef and potatoes. In a frying pan, add the olive oil and meat and cook under medium heat, until the water evaporated. Then add the potatoes, and brown the meat with the potatoes. Add the onions, garlic, pepper, cumin and salt. Let cook for about 2 minutes. Then add the  tomato paste, and cook for another 2 minutes.  Pick out the potatoes and leave aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Time to start assembling. In a small oven dish–like the one in the pic–layer like so:

1) a thin layer of the Bachamel

2) half of the amount of pasta

3) all of the meat

4) layer the potatoes

5) shredded Mozarella cheese

6)  rest of the pasta

7) all of the rest of the bachamel sauce

8 ) fresh Mozarella

Cover with foil [don’t let the foil touch the Mozarella], and place in oven. After 20 minutes, remove the foil and let cook and brown on top. If you like you can sprinkle some plain bread crumbs for an extra golden layer on top, and place in oven for a few more minutes. Serve hot. Here’s what it looks like served up [click image to enlarge].

Note: Here’s Umm Ali’s version of the same dish, as I said everyone makes it their own way.

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