Saloona

Ingredients

Meat

• 1 kglamb on the bone
• or 1 kg hamour or other firm fish

Base

• 3 tbspoil
• 2onions, chopped
• 6 clovesgarlic, crushed
• 3cm ginger, grated
• 3tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tbsptomato purée

Spice

• 2 tbspbaharat
• 1 tspturmeric
• 1 tspground cumin
• 3dried limes, loomi, pierced
• 1cinnamon stick
• 4cardamom pods
• salt

Vegetables

• 3potatoes
• 2carrots
• 1aubergine
• 1courgette
• 150 gokra, optional
• 1green pepper

Also

• 1.5 litreswater
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2green chillies
• coriander, chopped

To serve

• white rice
• dates
• khubz

Directions

1. Pierce each one two or three times with the point of a knife. Heat the oil and cook the onions slowly for 10 minutes until golden. Add the garlic and ginger, then the baharat, turmeric and cumin, and fry for 30 seconds.
2. Fry the spices in the fat rather than adding them to liquid, which is what wakes them up. Add the tomato purée and fry it for 2 minutes.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until they break down and the oil separates at the edges. Add the lamb and brown it briefly in the base. Pour in the water, add the pierced limes, cinnamon and cardamom, and bring to a simmer.
4. Skim the surface in the first fifteen minutes. Skim it properly, because saloona is a thin broth and any scum shows.
5. Simmer covered for an hour to an hour and a half until the lamb is tender. Potatoes and carrots for 20 minutes, then aubergine and pepper, then courgette and okra for the last 10.
6. Poach the fish gently at the end. Add the whole green chillies for the last 10 minutes. It should be soupy, sour and warmly spiced, and thin enough to pour over rice rather than to eat with a fork.
7. Add more hot water if it has reduced too far. Scatter chopped coriander over the pot. Serve it over white rice, with flatbread and dates alongside.

Technique

• Hamour, the local grouper, is the classic fish for the fish version.
• Baharat blends vary and Bahraini ones lean on black lime and cinnamon.
• It reheats well and the flavours deepen overnight.

Substitutions

• Any Gulf or Levantine baharat blend.
• Chicken in place of lamb, cooking it for half the time.

Variations

• Made with fish, which is standard on the coast.
• Salona, the Emirati version.
• With okra, as saloona bamia.

History

Soupy stew of meat or fish with vegetables and dried lime, spooned over rice.

Frequently asked questions

What is Saloona?

Saloona is a soup & stew from Bahrain: home-style spiced meat and vegetable stew. Soupy stew of meat or fish with vegetables and dried lime, spooned over rice.

How long does Saloona take to make?

Saloona takes 25 min of preparation and 1 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Saloona?

Yes, within limits. Any Gulf or Levantine baharat blend. Chicken in place of lamb, cooking it for half the time.

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

Pierce each one two or three times with the point of a knife. Heat the oil and cook the onions slowly for 10 minutes until golden. Add the garlic and ginger, then the baharat, turmeric and cumin, and fry for 30 seconds.