Yemenite Bone Soup Recipes

YEMENITE SOUP

Steps:

• 1. Bring meat and water to a boil in a large pot. Reduce to medium and cook, covered for one hour. 2. In a food processor, coarsely grind the onions, parsley, and cilantro, and add to the pot. 3. Dice all the vegetables small and add to the pot (no time for dicing? No problem: shred them all in the food processor), with all remaining ingredients. Cook 2 more hours. 4. Adjust the texture and seasonings.

YEMENITE SOUP

Steps:

• Place chicken pieces and marrow bones on the bottom of a 6-8 quart stock pot. Add 12 cups water to the pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes, skimming the foam that rises to the top.
• Stir 2 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tbsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper and garlic cloves into the pot. Add the cilantro bundle and onion, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer. Let the soup cook for 90 minutes, keeping an eye periodically to make sure the simmer is low and bubbling but not boiling too rapidly. Stir gently a few times during cooking.
• After 90 minutes, use a pair of tongs to pull out the onion, the cilantro bundle and the two chicken breasts on the bone. Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board. Pull the meat from the bones and shred it. Discard the bones and skin.
• Add the chicken breast meat back to the soup pot. Stir 2 tsp hawayej spice blend into the broth along with additional salt and black pepper to taste. I usually add about 1 tsp more of salt, it really makes the spices pop. Add the potato chunks to the broth. At this point, you can also add other vegetables if you wish, including small slices of carrot, celery, zucchini, etc. Bring back to a low simmer and continue to cook for 15-20 minutes more, or until the largest potato chunks are tender (and the other veggies, if you decide to add them).
• Scrape the marrow out of the bones and add it to the broth, if desired, or serve the marrow bones with soup to anybody who enjoys them. Serve each bowl with a few potato chunks, a chicken leg, and some of the other chicken meat. I usually remove the skin and cartilage from the chicken pieces prior to serving for a nicer presentation. Garnish each bowl with fresh chopped cilantro. This soup is usually served with schug alongside; it can be stirred into the broth to add more spicy flavor.
• In a heavy 6 quart pot, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium high. Sprinkle the meat chunks with salt and pepper. Add the meat to the pan and sear it, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides.
• Pour meat into a bowl and reserve. Drain the excess fat from the pot. Add another 1 tbsp olive oil to the pot and add the chopped onions. Let the onions cook for several minutes until they are softened and brown, stirring occasionally and scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pot as they cook.
• Add meat chunks back to the pot along with the marrow bones. Cover with 14 cups of water. Bring to a simmer, skimming any foam that rises to the top.
• Stir in 1/2 tbsp turmeric and 1/2 tbsp salt. Add the cilantro bundle and the garlic cloves. Reduce heat to a low simmer. Let the soup cook for 2 1/2 hours, keeping an eye periodically to make sure the simmer is low and bubbling but not boiling rapidly.
• After 2 1/2 hours your meat chunks should be quite tender. Remove the cilantro bundle. Stir 1 1/2 tsp hawayej spice blend into the broth along with additional salt and black pepper to taste (I usually add 1 to 1 1/2 tsp more of salt, but we like things on the salty side). Add the potato chunks to the broth. Bring back to a simmer and continue to cook for 15-20 minutes more, or until the largest potato chunks are tender.
• Scrape the marrow out of the bones and add it to the broth, if desired, or serve the marrow bones with soup to anybody who enjoys them. Serve each bowl of soup garnished with fresh chopped cilantro (optional). This soup is usually served with schug alongside; it can be stirred into the broth to add more spicy flavor.

YEMENITE SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil. Add the meat. Season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer to a bowl.
• Sauté onion and carrots. Add whole garlic, and saute for 10 minutes.
• Add the rest of spices and soup mix. Add tomato.
• Add in all the chicken and browned meat.
• Add water, potatoes, and cilantro.
• Bring to a boil and then simmer for three hours.

YEMENITE BONE SOUP

Steps:

• Mix cumin, tumeric, and pepper.
• Put beef in a large pot and sprinkle with salt and spice mixture.
• Cook for about 5 minutes, turning occasionally.
• Add onion and tomatoes and enough boiling water to cover meat.
• Bring to a boil and skim foam from surface.
• Cover and cook over low heat for about 2 hours.
• Peel the potatoes and add to the soup, if necessary, add water to cover.
• Cook over low heat until meat and potatoes are tender (about 1 additional hour) Adjust seasoning, remove onion and tomatoes.
• Serve and enjoy!

YEMENITE CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• Hawaii spice mix: Toast cloves, coriander, black peppercorns, cumin, caraway, cardamom pods, and celery seed in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Shake occasionally to prevent burning. Remove from heat, then set aside in a bowl to cool completely.
• Grind spices finely, adding in turmeric, cinnamon, and salt. Sift through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. If not using right away, store the blend in a tightly sealed container for up to one month. Makes ½ cup.
• Chicken soup: Roughly chop onion, celery, garlic, and carrots. In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, sauté vegetables in oil until soft and onions are translucent, 8-10 minutes. Add Hawaii spice mix and stir to combine.
• Add stock to the vegetables. Roughly chop parsley and cilantro (including stems) and add to the pot. Bring soup to a gentle simmer. Meanwhile, season chicken with salt on both sides and add to the pot. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Add diced potatoes and cook another 15 minutes, until chicken pulls from the bone and potatoes are tender.
• Assembly: Place a piece of chicken into a bowl. Ladle vegetables around the chicken, followed by a ladle of broth. Garnish with fresh cilantro and a drizzle of tahini. Serve hot.

YEMENITE BEEF AND CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• In a large pot, place water, beef and marrow bones and bring to boil.
• Lower heat and add garlic, onions, parsley and dill.
• Cut a cross in the tomato (do not cut all the way through) and add to pot.
• Cover pot and simmer 20 minutes.
• Add the chicken and bring to boil.
• Add carrots (peeled but whole), celery, curry and cumin.
• Lower heat and simmer 20 minutes until cooked.
• Refrigerate overnight.
• In the morning, skim the layer of fat off the top. Fish out the chicken, remove the skin and bones, cut chicken into pieces and return chicken pieces to pot.
• Add zucchini, potatoes, hawaij and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer covered 10 minutes.
• Add lemon juice. Remove marrow. Garnish with cilantro.
• Good served with z'chug (Yemenite chili pepper paste) and hilbe (Yemenite fenugreek paste) to taste.

YEMENITE HIGH HOLY DAY SOUP

Steps:

• Child: Store the celery, zucchini, carrots, tomato, and potatoes in separate covered containers in the refrigerator until you need them the next day. The potatoes must be in cold water or they will turn a terrible gray color.
• Adult with Child: Place the beef and chicken in a large kettle with enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, until a froth forms. Remove the meat and bones and discard the water. Clean the kettle.
• Child: Put the beef and bones back in the kettle and cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil again. Lower the heat and add the unpeeled garlic cloves (by being left in their skins, they won't soften in cooking). Add the onions, turnip, and leeks or green onions. Cook, covered, about 1 1/2 hours, or until the meat seems fairly tender.
• Adult: Remove the marrow bones, add the chicken, cover, and simmer another 20 minutes. Let cool and refrigerate overnight.
• Child: Bring the soup to a boil. Add the celery, zucchini, carrots, tomato, and potatoes. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer another 20 minutes. Just before serving, add the parsley or coriander, salt, and hawayij, and cook, covered, for a few minutes.
• Adult: Remove the garlic cloves. Adjust the seasonings.
• Eat by dipping bread into the soup, scooping up the meat and vegetables and/or the sauce.