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Marak temani
Spiced beef and potato soup
Marak temani (מרק תימני): Yemenite-Jewish hawaij beef soup with potatoes
Friday night in Rosh HaAyin, Tel Aviv's Kerem HaTeimanim and other Yemenite-Jewish neighbourhoods often means a big pot of marak temani, a yellow broth of beef on the bone with potatoes, onion and carrot, coloured and perfumed by hawaij, the Yemenite blend of turmeric, cumin, black pepper and cardamom. It is eaten piping hot with fiery zhug stirred in at the table and soft bread or jachnun-style pastry for dipping. The meat is cooked long enough to fall from the bone but the broth stays clear and light. The most common mistake is boiling it hard, which clouds the soup; keep it at a lazy simmer and skim early. Chef's tip: add the potatoes only for the last 40 minutes so they hold their shape.
- Total time
- 165 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the soup
- 2 ⅝ lb beef on the bone (shin, short rib or neck)cut into large pieces
- 12 ½ cups water
- 2 onionshalved
- 1 tomatowhole
- 2 carrotscut into chunks
- 2 celery stickscut into chunks
- 6 waxy potatoesmedium, peeled and halved
- ⅔ oz fresh corianderstalks tied, leaves chopped
- 2 tsp salt
For the hawaij
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp black pepperground
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
To serve
- zhug (optional)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 2 ⅝ lb beef on the bone (shin, short rib or neck) and 12 ½ cups water in a large pot, bring slowly to the boil and skim off all the grey foam for the first 10 minutes.
20 minStep 2: Mix 2 tsp ground turmeric, 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp black pepper and ½ tsp ground cardamom and stir into the pot with 2 onions, 1 tomato, 2 carrots, 2 celery sticks, the coriander stalks from ⅔ oz fresh coriander and 2 tsp salt.
Step 3: Partly cover and simmer very gently for 1 hour 30 minutes, until the beef is nearly tender.
90 minStep 4: Add 6 waxy potatoes and simmer for 40 minutes more, until a knife slides easily into the potatoes and the beef pulls away from the bone.
40 minStep 5: Remove the coriander stalks and the tomato skin. Taste for salt and scatter with the chopped coriander leaves.
Step 6: Serve in deep bowls with a piece of meat and potato each, with zhug and pita or soft bread at the table.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 40 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does marak temani take?
- About 165 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 150 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.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of tomato?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
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