Thareed

Ingredients

Bread

• 8to 10 sheets regag, the paper-thin Gulf bread
• or thin lavash, or khubz

Meat

• 1 kglamb on the bone, in pieces
• or chicken

Base

• 3onions, chopped
• 6 clovesgarlic
• 3 tbsptomato paste
• 4tomatoes
• 3 tbspghee or oil

Spices

• 2 tbspbezar, the Gulf spice mix
• 1 tspturmeric
• 1dried lime, loomi, pierced
• 1cinnamon stick
• 4cardamom pods
• salt and black pepper

Vegetables

• 2potatoes
• 2carrots
• 1courgette
• 1aubergine
• 200 gpumpkin
• chickpeas, optional

To serve

• in a wide shallow dish
• at iftar

Directions

1. Brown the lamb in the ghee in a heavy pot. Brown it properly in batches, since that colour is much of the depth of the finished stew. Lift it out and fry the onions until soft and golden.
2. Add the garlic, then the tomato paste, and fry the paste for 3 or 4 minutes until it darkens. Frying the paste takes the raw metallic edge off it, which is worth the few minutes.
3. Add the bezar and turmeric and cook a minute. Return the meat, add the chopped tomatoes, the whole spices and the dried lime.
4. Pierce the loomi in a couple of places before it goes in. Add water to cover and simmer, covered, for about an hour and a half until the lamb is tender. Simmer until everything is tender and the stew is thick and rich.
5. Season it generously, because the bread is unsalted and it will absorb a great deal of the liquid and dilute everything. The stew should taste slightly too strong on its own.
6. Add more water or stock if it has reduced too far. Break the regag into large pieces and lay them in a wide shallow dish. Some cooks toast the bread briefly first, which helps it hold up.
7. Arrange the meat and vegetables on top. Assemble it at the last moment, immediately before serving. Bread left sitting in stew turns to paste within about twenty minutes.

Technique

• Regag is the paper-thin Gulf bread cooked on an iron plate.
• The hadith reference is very widely known and gives the dish real standing.
• It must be assembled immediately before serving.

Substitutions

• Thin lavash or any flatbread, torn.
• Chicken in place of lamb, which cooks faster.

Variations

• Made with chicken.
• With chickpeas added.
• A vegetable-only version for fasting or Lent.

History

An ancient Arabian dish named in hadith, revived on Bahraini tables every Ramadan.

Frequently asked questions

What is Thareed?

Thareed is a soup & stew from Bahrain: thin regag bread soaked in meat and vegetable stew until soft. An ancient Arabian dish named in hadith, revived on Bahraini tables every Ramadan.

How long does Thareed take to make?

Thareed takes 30 min of preparation and 2 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Thareed?

Yes, within limits. Thin lavash or any flatbread, torn. Chicken in place of lamb, which cooks faster.

What is the most important thing to get right in Thareed?

Add the bezar and turmeric and cook a minute. Return the meat, add the chopped tomatoes, the whole spices and the dried lime.