Fahsa

Fahsa is a slow-cooked Yemeni lamb stew, spiced with cumin and fenugreek and traditionally served with lahoh bread. It belongs to the family of braised meat stews in Yemeni cooking. The meat is cooked low and long until it is tender, and the sauce thickens around it.

What it really is

Lamb is braised with onion, tomato and garlic in a spiced sauce. Cumin and fenugreek give the stew its characteristic flavour, and fenugreek adds a slightly bitter, maple-like note. The pot is kept at a low simmer so the meat softens and the liquid reduces to a thick, rich sauce. Recipes vary from household to household in the amount of spice, the thickness of the sauce and the amount of tomato, so no two pots taste exactly the same.

How it's served

• Hot, in a bowl with the meat and sauce together.
• With lahoh, a thin flatbread that is torn and used to scoop up the stew.
• As a main dish, with the bread served alongside rather than cooked into the stew.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the meat as lamb, and say whether it is on the bone or boneless.
• Name lahoh as the accompanying bread. It is usually made from wheat or sorghum flour, so state which flour your kitchen uses and flag wheat if it applies.
• Ask the kitchen whether the stew is cooked in oil, ghee or butter. Ghee and butter contain milk, so mark milk if they are used.
• Say how hot the spice is, since guests often ask.