Yemeni

Oqda Dajaj

A homely Yemeni chicken oqda cooked until the potatoes soften and the sauce turns thick and fragrant. It is best eaten hot with malawah or fresh flatbread to scoop up the spiced stew.

Ingredients

• Bone-in chicken pieces, skin removed500g
• Potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks2 small
• Onion, finely chopped1 medium
• Ripe tomatoes, finely chopped2 medium
• Garlic cloves3
• Green chili1
• Fresh cilantro, chopped1/4 cup
• Yemeni hawaij spice blend1 1/2 tsp
• Ground cumin1/2 tsp
• Ground turmeric1/4 tsp
• Black pepper1/4 tsp
• Salt1 tsp, or to taste
• Ghee or neutral oil2 tbsp
• Water1 1/2 cups

Method

1. Pound the garlic and green chili together with a pinch of salt until coarse, using a mortar and pestle if possible.
2. Heat the ghee or oil in a heavy pot, preferably a Yemeni stone pot or thick-bottomed saucepan, over medium heat.
3. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until deeply softened and golden at the edges.
4. Add the pounded garlic and chili and stir for about 1 minute until fragrant.
5. Add the chicken pieces and sear them with the onion mixture until lightly browned on all sides.
6. Stir in the hawaij, cumin, turmeric, black pepper, and salt so the chicken is well coated with the spices.
7. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until they collapse into a thick sauce and the oil begins to show at the edges.
8. Add the potato chunks and water, then bring to a boil.
9. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes, until the chicken is tender and the potatoes are fully cooked.
10. Using the back of a spoon, lightly crush a few potato pieces into the sauce to thicken the oqda while leaving some chunks whole.
11. Stir in most of the cilantro and simmer uncovered for 3 to 5 minutes until the stew is thick and glossy.
12. Taste for salt, scatter over the remaining cilantro, and serve hot with Yemeni flatbread.

Common questions