Yemenite Vegetable Stew

This recipe derives from a Yemenite stew recipe that my dear friend David swears by. The original recipe, called “Yemenite Chicken and Beef Soupy Stew,” can be found in Joan Nathan’s The Foods of Israel Today (2001). Last week, we adjusted it to accomodate my vegetarian proclivities. What resulted was an incredibly layered, warming, and hearty soup that provided so much comfort, that I repeated the recipe, this morning. Waking up in a cold, small apartment in downtown Denver inspired me to start cooking, first thing (even before tea!). Now, my house smells fantastic, is warm, and promises a very satisfying lunch.

The first taste is savory and curry/hawayij-forward. These spice mixes make for a complicated set of flavors that continue to unfold while the soup in your mouth. The z’hug and lemon provide a brightness, with the z’hug leaving a lingering but soft heat in your mouth long after the soup is gone. The vegetables are just cooked and provide enough chew to make you feel like you are having a real meal.

The original recipe suggests serving this soup over rice; however, last weekend we opted for homemade Dobo–an Ethiopian Shabbat bread that we seasoned with fennel and cooked in a skillet. Today, I’m going for a slightly lighter experience, as the soup, on its own, has large pieces of potato to satisfy my desire for carbs. Oh, and how the potatoes soak up that amazing curry, cumin, and hawayij.

You can make the z’hug, fresh, or buy a nice version at Trader Joe’s (in the fresh section of the store).

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 8 cups of vegetable stock
• 8 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 large onions, peeled and quartered
• 1 large tomato, almost quartered but not cut all the way through
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 T (or more) chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 2 large carrots, peeled and left whole
• 4 celery stalks
• 1 t curry powder
• 1/2 t ground cumin
• 1-2 zucchini, diced in 1-inch pieces
• 3 potatoes, peeled and diced in 1-inch pieces
• 1 T hawayij
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 c chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 T z’hug, or to taste
• 1/3 cup hilbe (optional)

Instructions:

1. Pour the vegetable stock into a stock pot or your favorite soup pot. Bring to a boil.
2. Lower the heat and add the garlic cloves, onion, tomato, parsley, and thyme. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Add carrot, celery, curry powder, and cumin. Cover and simmer another 20 minutes. You can do this a day ahead and refrigerate overnight.
4. Remove the celery and carrots from the pot, dice into bite-sized pieces, and return to the pot.
5. Add zucchini, potatoes, hawayij, salt, and pepper to taste and simmer, covered, for another 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Pour the lemon juice over the soup (you can also save this for garnish).
6. To serve, garnish the stew with fresh cilantro and lemon wedge. Offer the z’hug and hilbe to your guests, to add as they like (to taste).