Haneeth

Ingredients

Lamb

• 1leg or shoulder of lamb, about 2.5 kg

Rub

• 2 tbsphawaij for meat
• 1 tbspground cumin
• 1 tbspground coriander
• 1 tspturmeric
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 1 tspground cardamom
• 6 clovesgarlic, crushed
• 2 tbspsalt
• 3 tbspghee
• juice of 1 lemon

To serve

• rice
• sahawiq
• flatbread

Directions

1. Score the lamb deeply, right down to the bone in places.
2. Score it deep. The rub has to reach the inside of the joint, and a surface rub on a shoulder this size seasons almost nothing.
3. Mix the rub and work it into every cut and crevice with your hands.
4. Cover and refrigerate overnight, and a full day is better still.
5. Take it out an hour before cooking so that it is not fridge-cold going into the oven.
6. Wrap the lamb tightly in two layers of foil, or in banana leaf and then foil.
7. Sit it on a rack over a tray with a little water in the bottom and put it into the oven at 150°C (300°F).
8. Roast it wrapped for 4 to 5 hours.
9. Low and wrapped is the whole method. The traditional taboon is a clay pit oven where the meat cooks for hours in its own steam, and the foil is the domestic version of that sealed pit.
10. Test it by twisting a bone: it should turn freely and the meat should come away with no resistance at all.
11. Unwrap the joint, pour off and keep the juices, and raise the oven to 230°C (445°F).
12. Return it uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, to dry and brown the surface.
13. Haneeth is meant to be dry on the outside, which is exactly where it differs from mandi and madfun, and the name itself points at that finish.
14. Rest it for 15 minutes, loosely tented, which lets the juices settle back before you pull it apart.
15. Pull the meat off in large pieces, spoon a little of the reserved juice over, and serve it on a platter of rice with sahawiq and bread.
16. It is a Hadhrami speciality from eastern Yemen, and the whole region cooks it when there are guests.

Technique

• Hawaij for meat, not the coffee blend. There is a recipe for both under Hawaij, and they are not interchangeable.
• Mandi is cooked over embers with rice underneath and comes out moister; haneeth is dry-finished, and that is the distinction.
• It is eaten with the right hand from a shared platter set in the middle of the group.

Substitutions

• Goat, which is just as traditional and takes the same timings.
• A slow cooker for the wrapped stage, though the browning still needs a hot oven.

Variations

• Mandi, cooked in a pit with the rice beneath the meat.
• Madfun, buried in the ground to cook.
• Given a smoked finish with a hot coal and a little oil under the lid.

History

Marinated lamb roasted in a clay pit oven until dry and tender, a Hadhrami speciality.

Frequently asked questions

What is Haneeth?

Haneeth is a main from Yemen: slow-roasted seasoned lamb, falling off the bone. Marinated lamb roasted in a clay pit oven until dry and tender, a Hadhrami speciality.

How long does Haneeth take to make?

Haneeth takes 20 min plus overnight marinating of preparation and 5 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Haneeth?

Yes, within limits. Goat, which is just as traditional and takes the same timings. A slow cooker for the wrapped stage, though the browning still needs a hot oven.

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

Low and wrapped is the whole method. The traditional taboon is a clay pit oven where the meat cooks for hours in its own steam, and the foil is the domestic version of that sealed pit.