Tharid

Ingredients for 3 servings:

• 500 g boneless lamb, e.g. from the shoulder
• 3 cm ginger
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 onions
• 3 m.-large tomato(s)
• 2 medium-sized potatoes, waxy
• 300 g Hokkaido pumpkin(s)
• 100 g chickpeas
• 500 ml meat broth
• 1 half lemon(s), juice
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 pinch(s) of salt and pepper
• some oil for frying

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 45 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 45 minutes

Thareed, Arabic stew with meat and vegetables

Soak fresh chickpeas in a bowl of water for approximately 12-24 hours before use. Then drain the water and rinse the chickpeas again under clear, cold water. If you are using pre-cooked chickpeas from a can, this step is unnecessary; simply drain them. Cut the tomatoes into small cubes. Peel and finely chop the onions, ginger, and garlic cloves. Wash, peel, and quarter the potatoes. Cut the pumpkin into appropriate pieces. Cut the lamb into bite-sized cubes. Heat a little oil in a large pot and sauté the ginger, garlic, and onions until translucent. Add the ground coriander seeds, cumin powder, and turmeric powder and sauté briefly. Add the lamb and brown briefly. Then deglaze with the meat stock and add the chopped tomatoes, lemon juice, and potatoes. Bring the dish to a boil briefly, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for approximately 1 hour. Add the pumpkin pieces and chickpeas and simmer for another half hour. Season the stew with salt and pepper. Tharid is traditionally eaten with thin flatbread as a side dish. There are countless different Tharid recipes throughout the Arab world, with each region having a more or less uniform recipe. The version I’m presenting is primarily native to the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula (Oman, Khatar). Tharid is one of the oldest and most traditional Arabic dishes. It is said that Tharid was the Prophet Muhammad’s favorite dish.