23.  Yemen (Republic of Yemen at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula)
It is a desert country, mostly arid and mountainous.
Various dialects of Arabic are spoken.

The capital is Sana’a.

“North Yemen became independent of the Ottoman Empire in 1918. The British, who had set up a protectorate area around the southern port of Aden in the 19th century, withdrew in 1967 from what became South Yemen. Three years later, the southern government adopted a Marxist orientation. The massive exodus of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis from the south to the north contributed to two decades of hostility between the states. The two countries were formally unified as the Republic of Yemen in 1990. A southern secessionist movement in 1994 was quickly subdued. In 2000, Saudi Arabia and Yemen agreed to a delimitation of their border.”
-Source: CIA - The World Factbook

The dishes we made:

 

Saltah (Yemeni Soup), Chicken Mandi and Yemeni Flatbread.  I LOVE skillet flatbreads!

Saltah (Yemeni Soup)        Good!
It is a traditional Yemeni soup that consists of a broth containing meat or vegetables and topped with a Fenugreek froth called Hilbeh.

1 lb Lamb, cut into pieces
3 cloves Garlic, crushed
½ Onion, chopped
½ green Hot Pepper Jalapenos), chopped
½ teaspoon ground Cumin
½ teaspoon ground Coriander
¼ teaspoon Turmeric
2 Eggs, beaten
6 Tbsp cooked Rice
A few Tbsp of Hilbeh/Hulba
Salt
Vegetable oil

Sear lamb meat and set aside, then add onions, garlic, hot pepper and spices. Sauté.
Add 4-5 cups water to cover meat.
*NOTE: Would be more flavorful to add half stock and half water.
Cook for ~1.5-2 hours.
Add the cooked rice.
Remove from heat and add in the beaten egg slowly in a thin ribbon/stream.
**NOTE: This is very similar to Chinese Egg drop Soup.
Serve with a spoonful or two of the Hilbeh.

Hulba/Hilbeh:
1 Tbsp ground fenugreek seeds
1/2 cups water
½ small tomato
1-2 garlic cloves
Juice of ½ lemon
1/8 tsp salt
1/16 tsp cumin
¼- ½ Jalapenos
Cilantro

If using whole seeds: Put fenugreek seeds in a deep bowl.
Cover with 4 cups (1 liter) of water.
Let stand overnight or at least 4 to 5 hours.
The fenugreek seeds will absorb a lot of water and swell considerably.
The next day, get rid of the soaking water as it is bitter.
Grind the fenugreek seeds for 1 to 2 minutes in a food processor.
Add remaining ingredients and blend until reaching a homogeneous texture.
OR
If using Ground Fenugreek:
Soak one Tbsp of ground fenugreek in water a few hours or overnight.
It will turn into a paste like mixture, place in a blender with rest of ingredients.
Blend until it is a frothy consistency.
If it is too thick, thin with more lemon or vinegar.

NOTE:
If fenugreek is already ground, try making the froth without creating a paste first. We found we had to blend it a long time to get it only slightly frothy.

 

Chicken Mandi       VERY, VERY, VERY Good!
Mandi Spice Mix:
1 Tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cardamom powder
1 clove
Grind these (coriander, Cardamom and clove)
1 Tbsp cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger powder
pinch of saffron threads
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 - 3 tsp chipotle pepper powder

Ingredients for the Rest of the Dish:
1 chicken cut into pieces skin on or off (your choice)
2 onions chopped
1/2 cup tomato puree
1 Tbsp garlic paste
2 Tbsp oil
3 Tbsp butter
2 cups jasmine or basmati rice
juice of 1 lemon
1 dried lime (lomi) or squeeze of Lime Juice
Mandi spice mixture
water
1 tsp liquid smoke or Smoky Olive Oil (which is what I used)

Preparing the Spice Mixture:
Simply mix all of the listed spices together.
Marinade the Chicken:
Mix 2 Tbsp of the spice mixture with the juice of a lemon and 2 Tbsp olive oil.
Then add in the chicken and coat completely.
Allow to marinate at least 30 minutes but the longer the better (overnight is great!)
Cooking the Mandi Dish:
In the Le Crueset (Stovetop pot), sear Chicken in Smoky Olive oil and remove.
Add regular olive oil if needed chopped onions.
Cook for 2-3 minutes until the onions soften.
Then add the garlic paste and tomato puree along with 2 more Tbsp of the Mandi spice mixture.
Mix well and let cook down for about 5 minutes.
Add the pieces of chicken back to the pot.
Before covering to cook add the lomi (lime juice) and enough water to cover the chicken.
Cover the pot and turn the heat down to low.
Leave to cook approximately 20-30 minutes depending on the cuts of meat used and size.
Check that they are cooked through and remove from the pot.
Place on a baking sheet for the final step.
Cooking the Rice:
Steam the rice and when done stir in a little of the juices from the simmering chicken.

If chicken is not falling apart and can be seared, then quickly sear in sauté pan with a little smoky olive oil. If not, then put on a platter with butter pats on top of chicken and broil to color the top.
Thicken the sauce.
Now place rice on serving dish and place chicken on top.
You can garnish with parsley or toasted almonds or pine nuts.

 

Yemeni Flatbread     VERY, VERY Good!
1 2/3 cup Flour
6.5 Tbsp Water
Salt
Oil
Spice mix (the Mandi Spices)

Knead dough and let sit in oiled bowl for 30-40 min.
Cut small pieces and roll thin.

Fry in skillet.