Yemeni Lamb Maraq Broth

Name: Yemeni Lamb Maraq Broth
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 2 h 40 min
Total time: 3 h 5 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Gulf
Ingredients: 3 shanks (about 12 oz each, 2¼ lb total) (1020 g) lamb shanks, patted very dry and left whole; 2 tbsp (28 g) ghee or neutral oil; ½ tsp (2 g) fenugreek seeds, whole; 1 tsp (2 g) cumin seeds, whole; 1 tsp (2 g) coriander seeds, whole; 1 large (about 9 oz) (250 g) yellow onion, finely chopped; 6 cloves (24 g) garlic, peeled and smashed; 1 tbsp (16 g) tomato paste; 2 tsp (5 g) hawaij spice blend for soup; 2 medium (about 10 oz total) (300 g) ripe tomatoes, halved and grated on a box grater, skins discarded; 10 cups (2400 ml) water, cold; 2 medium (about 10 oz total) (300 g) waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 1½-inch (4 cm) chunks; 1 whole (15 g) green chili (serrano or jalapeño), pierced once with a knife tip, left whole (optional); 2 tsp (8 g) kosher salt, plus more to taste; ¼ cup (10 g) fresh cilantro, leaves and tender stems, chopped; 1 whole (100 g) lemon, cut into 6 wedges

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A clear, golden Yemeni lamb broth built on seared shanks, tomato, garlic and a warming hawaij spice blend, with a whisper of toasted fenugreek. Serve it steaming with lemon and fresh cilantro, ideally with flatbread for dipping.

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 2 hr 40 min
Wait: 10 min
Total: 3 hr 15 min
Makes: About 2.2 liters (9 cups) broth, 6 bowls with meat and potatoes

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Ingredients

6 servings

3 shanks (about 12 oz each, 2¼ lb total) (1020 g) lamb shanks, patted very dry and left whole
2 tbsp (28 g) ghee or neutral oil
½ tsp (2 g) fenugreek seeds, whole
1 tsp (2 g) cumin seeds, whole
1 tsp (2 g) coriander seeds, whole
1 large (about 9 oz) (250 g) yellow onion, finely chopped
6 cloves (24 g) garlic, peeled and smashed
1 tbsp (16 g) tomato paste
2 tsp (5 g) hawaij spice blend for soup
2 medium (about 10 oz total) (300 g) ripe tomatoes, halved and grated on a box grater, skins discarded
10 cups (2400 ml) water, cold
2 medium (about 10 oz total) (300 g) waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 1½-inch (4 cm) chunks
1 whole (15 g) green chili (serrano or jalapeño), pierced once with a knife tip, left whole (optional)
2 tsp (8 g) kosher salt, plus more to taste
For serving
¼ cup (10 g) fresh cilantro, leaves and tender stems, chopped
1 whole (100 g) lemon, cut into 6 wedges

Equipment (6)

6-quart (5.5 L) heavy pot or Dutch oven with lid
Small dry skillet for toasting fenugreek (or use the pot)
Tongs
Large spoon or fine skimmer for skimming foam and fat
Box grater (for the tomatoes)
Mortar and pestle or spice grinder

Steps

Before you start

Take the lamb out of the fridge 30 minutes before searing and pat it very dry; dry meat browns instead of steaming.
Hawaij for soup is a blend of cumin, black pepper, turmeric and cardamom. Use store-bought or mix your own (see Substitutions).
Use only ½ teaspoon of fenugreek seeds. They are pleasantly aromatic in small amounts but turn the broth bitter if overdone.
Read the timing: about 2½ hours of mostly unattended simmering, plus a 10-minute rest before serving.

1
Toast and grind spices
- Place the fenugreek, cumin and coriander seeds in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat.
- Toast, shaking the pan constantly, for 1½–2 minutes.
- Tip onto a plate to cool for 1 minute, then crush to a coarse powder in a mortar or spice grinder.
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Ready when: Cumin smells nutty and the seeds darken slightly; fenugreek turns light golden, not brown.
Tip: Pull the pan off the heat as soon as it smells toasty. Burnt fenugreek tastes harshly bitter.
2
Sear the lamb
- Heat the ghee in the 6-quart pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
- Season the shanks with 1 teaspoon of the salt.
- Sear them for 8–10 minutes total, turning every 2–3 minutes with tongs.
- Transfer to a plate.
- Leave the fat in the pot.
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Ready when: All sides are deep golden brown and release easily from the pot.
Tip: Sear in the pot without crowding. If it smokes heavily, lower the heat to medium.
3
Soften the onion
- Reduce the heat to medium.
- Add the onion to the pot with the lamb fat and cook, stirring often and scraping up the browned bits, for 6–7 minutes.
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Ready when: Onion is soft, translucent and pale golden at the edges.
4
Bloom garlic and spices
- Add the garlic, tomato paste, hawaij and the ground toasted spices.
- Stir constantly for 1 minute, until the paste darkens slightly and the pot smells fragrant.
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Ready when: Paste turns brick red and the spices smell strongly aromatic.
Tip: Keep stirring so the garlic and spices do not scorch.
5
Cook the tomatoes
- Stir in the grated tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, so the juices reduce to a thick, jammy base.
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Ready when: The mixture looks thick and no watery liquid pools when you drag a spoon through it.
6
Boil and skim
- Return the shanks and any juices to the pot.
- Pour in the water and add the remaining 1 teaspoon salt.
- Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil, about 8–10 minutes.
- Skim off the gray foam with a spoon for the first 5 minutes of boiling, then reduce the heat to low.
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Ready when: Foam stops forming and the surface looks mostly clear with a few golden fat droplets.
Tip: Skimming now gives a cleaner, clearer broth.
7
Simmer until tender
- Cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar.
- Hold the broth at a gentle simmer, with only a few bubbles breaking the surface, for 90 minutes.
- Turn the shanks once halfway through.
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Ready when: Meat has started to pull away from the bone at the ends and feels nearly tender when poked with a fork.
Tip: A hard boil makes the broth cloudy and the meat stringy. Keep it at a gentle simmer.
8
Add potatoes and chili
- Add the potato chunks and the whole green chili, if using.
- Cover and simmer gently for 25–30 minutes more.
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Ready when: A knife slides easily into a potato chunk, and the lamb meat reaches about 195–205°F (90–96°C) and falls off the bone with light pressure.
Tip: If the chili is spicy enough, lift it out early. Pierced chilies release heat quickly.
9
Rest and degrease
- Turn off the heat and rest the pot, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
- Skim the golden fat from the surface with a wide spoon, leaving a little for flavor.
- Lift the shanks onto a board and pull the meat from the bones in large pieces.
- Discard the bones, gristle and chili.
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Ready when: Broth is clear gold with just a thin sheen of fat.
Tip: Return the bones to the pot for a few minutes if you want extra body, then discard.
10
Season and serve
- Return the meat to the pot and warm over low heat for 2 minutes.
- Taste and add salt, ½ teaspoon at a time, until the broth tastes savory and bright.
- Ladle into 6 warm bowls with meat and potatoes, sprinkle with cilantro and serve each with a lemon wedge to squeeze in.
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Ready when: Broth is steaming hot and tastes well seasoned, with no flat or watery edge.
Tip: Add the lemon at the table. Heat dulls its fresh flavor.

Good to know

Tips

Grating the tomatoes leaves the skins behind and melts the flesh into the broth without tough bits.
Keep the simmer gentle. Boiling emulsifies fat into the broth and makes it cloudy.
Salt in two stages, once at searing and once at the end, because the broth reduces slightly and concentrates.
For a richer traditional finish, serve with flatbread (malawah or khubz) for dipping.

Make ahead

"The broth tastes better the next day. Cool, refrigerate overnight, and lift off the solid fat layer before reheating. Complete through step 9, chill the meat in the broth, and finish with step 10 just before serving."

Storage & reheating

"Room temperature: no more than 2 hours. Fridge: up to 4 days in airtight containers. Freezer: up to 3 months (freeze without potatoes for best texture). Reheat gently in a pot over medium-low heat until steaming hot, 165°F (74°C), about 10 minutes; thaw frozen soup overnight in the fridge first."

Substitutions

hawaij spice blend for soup → 1 tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp ground turmeric, ½ tsp black pepper and ¼ tsp ground cardamom. Mix to approximate Yemeni soup hawaij.
lamb shanks → bone-in lamb neck or goat shank (same weight). Neck is fattier, so skim more; goat may need an extra 20–30 minutes.
fenugreek seeds → ¼ tsp ground fenugreek. Add with the hawaij; skip the toasting for this one.
waxy potatoes → 1 medium carrot and 1 small zucchini, in chunks. Add carrot with the potatoes' timing; add zucchini for the last 10 minutes.