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Yemenite Chicken and Vegetable Soup with Turmeric

4 to 6 Servings

1½ hours 1 hour active

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The soup called marak temani is a fragrant, chunky, golden-hued meat- and vegetable-studded broth that originates with Yemenite Jews. Its defining flavor is savory hawaij, a Yemeni seasoning blend of turmeric, cumin, black pepper and cardamom, but often includes a number of other warm spices. In our version, we combine a handful of ground spices from the pantry, and we season in stages to create layers and depth of flavor. Marak temani customarily is served with two condiments: zhoug, a spicy pesto-like herb puree, and hilbe, a paste made by blending soaked fenugreek seeds with lemon juice. We make a simplified zhoug using cilantro, scallions and pickled jalapeños for punchy, tangy heat. Spoonfuls of the puree added to individual bowls give the soup a pot of green, grassy freshness and pleasing heat. We serve this with warmed flatbread.

4 to 6

Servings

Tip

Don’t use boneless chicken breasts for this soup. We rely on the bones and skin of whole bone-in breasts, rather than store-bought chicken broth, to provide body and richness in the broth.

1½ hours

1 hour active

Ingredients

  • teaspoons ground turmeric

  • teaspoons ground cumin

Directions

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Reviews
Cathy R.
January 6, 2024
Better than traditional Chicken Noodle Soup.
Made this for dinner tonight. It was very good. I didn't have fenugreek so substituted fennel seed. I did not chop up the fennel in the food processor, left it whole. Looking forward to the leftovers. Getting cold in TX, high 60 tomorrow.
Karen W.
January 3, 2024
Comfort Food at its Best!
I love hawaijj so this was right up my alley. I normally make my own hawaijj but decided to go with this mixture to stay true to the recipe. My hawaijj has a bit more cardamom and pepper. The soup turned out deliciously earthy and perfectly spiced. The zhoug puree puts it over the top so don't omit that!! I also added the optional fenugreek and I tossed in some cooked chickpeas that I had leftover from another dish.