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Tabbakh Roho – Vegetable Stew Recipe

Yields1 ServingPrep Time20 minsCook Time3 hrsTotal Time3 hrs 20 mins

An historic Arabic recipe for eggplant curry with chickpeas is known as tabbakh roho. It is both vegan and gluten-free.

TO BOIL THE LAMB
 58 g Lamb cubes (boneless, medium pieces)
 ⅛ Onions
 ¼ tsp Salt
 ⅛ tsp Black pepper
 ⅓ Bay leaves (dried)
 Water
FOR THE STEW
 ⅓ Eggplants
 ⅓ Carrots
 1 Marrow (also called Courgettes, 'Koosa' in Arabic)
 ⅛ Green capsicum (small, also called Bell Peppers)
 ⅓ Tomatoes
 67 g Chopped tomatoes (canned)
 ⅛ Onions
 4 Garlic cloves
 ⅛ tbsp Mint (dried)
 ¼ tsp Salt
 ⅛ tsp Black pepper
 ⅓ cup Lamb broth (made in recipe)
 ¼ tbsp Pomegranate molasses ('Dibs Rumman' in Arabic)
 ¼ tbsp Sunflower oil
1

To boil the lamb and prepare the broth, place the lamb cubes in a pot and cover them with water. Put the heat on high and bring to a boil. You will notice white foam forms on top of the water. Using a net ladle, remove the foam by skimming the top of the water.

2

Add the onion halves, bay leaves, salt and black pepper, then stir and cover. Boil on medium heat until the meat is soft (around 1 ½ hours). Once cooked put on the side and remove the bay leaves and onions from the broth. Note: If you use a pressure cooker, it takes 30 minutes to boil the lamb.

3

In a large pot, lightly fry the sliced garlic and onion half-moons in the sunflower oil on high heat.

4

Add the lamb cubes from the broth and mix.

5

Lower the heat to medium and add salt, black pepper and the vegetables (baby marrow, carrots, capsicum, eggplant, and fresh and canned tomato). Mix well then add some lamb broth, cover and leave to cook until vegetables are soft (about 90 minutes). Halfway through, add the pomegranate molasses, dried mint and crushed garlic – mix and continue to cook covered on medium to low heat. If you find the stew is too thick, add some more broth or water.