Ingredients
For the hilbeh:
- 1 Tbsp ground fenugreek seeds (see notes)
- ¾ cup water
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 leek, white and light green parts only, cut to 1-inch sections
- 1 ripe tomato, quartered
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 Serrano pepper or any chili pepper, chopped
- juice from 1 ½ lemons (6 Tbsp)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
For the soup:
- 2 lb chicken wings
- 2–3 marrow bones or ½ lb beef chuck
- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 carrot, peeled and cut to large chunks
- 1 celery stalk, cut to 2 inch sections
- 1 parsnip, peeled and cut to large chunks
- 1 bay leaf
- kosher salt
- ground black pepper
To assemble:
Instructions
- The night before, put ground fenugreek in a medium bowl and cover with ¾ cup water at room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand until the next day.
- To make the soup, put chicken wings, bone marrow and the vegetables in a large pot. Cover with water 1 inch over the ingredients and bring to boil over high heat. Skim the foam with a large spoon then add bay leaf, salt and black pepper to taste, reduce heat, cover the pot, and cook on low simmer for 1 hour. Taste and adjust salt. Keep only 2½ cups of the broth in the pot and keep the rest of the broth and chicken for another use. (For a shortcut, see notes.)
- In the meantime, make the hilbeh. The fenugreek you soaked last night will soak some of the water and become thick and jello-y. Put the soaked fenugreek and water in a blender and add the rest of the hilbeh ingredients. Blend until smooth and keep aside.
- Add all the hilbeh (about 2 cups) into the 2½ cups of clear broth in the pot and bring to boil on medium-high heat. Grate 2 tomatoes and add to the pot, together with zhug, if you want it to be spicy. Taste the soup and add salt and zhug to taste. Reduce heat to medium-low.
- Break the stale flatbread into 1 inch size pieces and drop into the soup. The flatbread should get a few inches above the soup, so when it soaks the soup, there will hardly be any liquid left. Mix the flatbread into the soup and cook for about 5 minutes, until it is all soaked in, and remove from the heat.
- Serve ftout while hot, with lemon wedges for everyone to squeeze on top of their serving.
Notes
- Fenugreek seeds, preferably ground (not the dry leaves!) are available at most Middle Eastern supermarkets and online.
- A real shortcut would be to use a store-bought chicken broth. Just make sure to mix in some oil (olive oil is fine) or add some bone broth into the chicken broth so it is rich and fatty, as needed.
- Another major shortcut is to use store-bought flatbread instead of making your own saluf. Just be sure to use a thick flatbread, not the skinny pita bread available at most American supermarkets; look for Israeli-style pita bread (available at many Kosher supermarkets and some Whole Foods branches) or get Persian flatbreads from a Persian supermarket. (If you’re in Israel, any pita bread is fine.)
- You can use the hilbeh as a dip with pita bread. It keeps in the fridge in a sealed container for two days.
- Ftout keeps in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat in the microwave.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes + soaking overnight
- Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Category: Entree
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: Yemenite