Somali
Gluten free
SpicyFah-fah (Djiboutian spicy goat soup)
Fah-fah: a peppery goat broth with potato, carrot, green chilli and coriander, eaten with canjeero in Djibouti
Djibouti City's cafés and Somali-speaking homes across the Horn claim fah-fah as a national dish: a clear but deeply flavoured goat broth simmered on the bone with garlic, cumin and black pepper, filled with potatoes and carrots and sharpened at the end with plenty of green chilli and coriander. It is often eaten at lunch or as a restorative supper, and is especially loved during the cool season and Ramadan, with canjeero torn into the bowl to soak. The broth should be clean-tasting and spicy rather than thick. Letting the soup boil hard makes it cloudy and greasy, so skim well and keep it at a gentle simmer. Don't skip skimming the broth at the start, or the soup stays cloudy and tastes muddy. Chef's tip: add the chilli and coriander only in the final minutes so they stay bright and green.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 95 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Serves
- 6
- Per serving
- 340 kcal
Ingredients
For the broth
- 2 ¼ lb goat meat on the boneneck or shoulder, cut into chunks
- 9 ¼ cups water
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 6 cloves garliccrushed
- 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tomatograted
For the vegetables and finish
- 3 potatoespeeled and cut into large chunks
- 2 carrotsthickly sliced
- 3 green chillieschopped; fewer for a milder soup
- 1 oz fresh corianderchopped
- 1 limecut into wedges
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put the 2 ¼ lb goat meat on the bone and 9 ¼ cups water in a large pot and bring slowly to the boil over a medium heat. Skim off all the grey foam for 5 minutes until the surface is clear.
10 minStep 2: Add the 1 onion, 6 cloves garlic, 1 ½ tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground black pepper, ½ tsp ground turmeric, 2 tsp salt and 1 tomato. Lower the heat, cover and simmer very gently for 60 minutes, until the meat is tender and pulling from the bone.
60 minStep 4: Stir in the 3 green chillies and most of the 1 oz fresh coriander and simmer for 2–3 minutes. Taste and add salt or pepper.
3 minStep 5: Ladle into bowls with the rest of the coriander and a wedge of 1 lime, and serve with canjeero or bread.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 340 kcal
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 20 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does fah-fah (Djiboutian spicy goat soup) take?
- About 110 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 95 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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