Lahoh
Yemeni sourdough flatbread, cooked on a hot dry pan: spongy, tangy, full of small even holes like an English crumpet, but pliable and torn rather than buttered. Eaten with saltah, fahsa or anything brothy that needs scooping. The fermentation gives it a slight sourness; the holes catch the sauce.
Overview
Plain flour, semolina, yeast, water and salt are whisked to a loose pancake batter; left to ferment 8 hours (or overnight). The batter goes onto a hot, lightly oiled pan; bubbles burst across the surface within 90 seconds; it's cooked one side only, no flipping. The top stays creamy white; the bottom turns pale gold. Pulled off the pan with a spatula, stacked, kept warm.
Ingredients
- 250 g plain flour
- 100 g fine semolina (or replace with more plain flour)
- ½ teaspoon fast-action yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon caster sugar
- 700 ml warm water (more if needed for consistency)
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil for the pan
Method
Stage 1 - Batter
- Whisk the flour, semolina, yeast, salt and sugar in a wide bowl.
- Gradually whisk in the warm water to make a smooth, runny batter - the consistency of single cream.
- Cover; leave at room temperature 8 hours (or overnight). It should be bubbly and smell pleasantly sour.
Stage 2 - Adjust consistency
- Stir the batter gently. It should still be pourable; thin with a splash of water if it has thickened.
Stage 3 - Cook
- Heat a non-stick or well-seasoned 24 cm pan over medium heat 2 minutes.
- Lightly oil with a kitchen paper dipped in oil (no pooled oil).
- Ladle 120 ml of batter into the centre; swirl quickly to spread into a 20 cm round.
- Within 30 seconds, bubbles will rise across the surface and burst, leaving open holes.
- Cook 2-3 minutes until the bottom is pale gold and the top is fully set and dry.
- Do not flip - lahoh is cooked one side only.
Stage 4 - Stack
- Slide onto a plate; cover with a clean tea towel to keep warm and soft.
- Repeat with the remaining batter, re-oiling the pan lightly between each.
Stage 5 - Serve
- Eat warm, torn into pieces to scoop saltah or fahsa.
Notes
- Holes are the goal: A well-fermented batter on a properly hot pan gives the characteristic Swiss-cheese surface. Too thick a batter or too low a heat and the holes don't form.
- Pan heat: Medium, not high. Too hot and the holes seal over before bursting; too cool and they form sluggishly. Test with one small spoon of batter first.
- Sourness adjusts: Longer ferment = more sour. 8 hours is mild; 18 hours pushes towards sourdough levels.
Storage
- Best fresh, eaten warm. Will keep 2 days, wrapped, at room temperature; refresh on a dry pan 30 seconds.
- Freezes 1 month in a sealed bag.
Recipes mentioned here
Fahsa
Lamb shoulder slow-cooks for 2 ½ hours until it shreds; the broth reduces hard with sautéed onion, tomato, garlic and Yemeni spice mix (hawaij) into a thick, dark sauce. The shredded meat goes back in; a small amount of cooking liquor keeps it loose. Transferred to a stone pot, brought to a hard boil at the table, topped with whipped hulba and a spoonful of sahawiq.
Saltah
Lamb (or beef) is slow-cooked in a Yemeni tomato-onion-spice stew (called maraq) for two hours. Just before serving, the stew is transferred to a flameproof clay or stone pot, brought to a violent boil on direct heat. Whipped hulba (overnight-soaked fenugreek seeds, blended with lemon and a little water into a snowy froth) is spooned on top. The pot is brought to the table boiling. Sahawiq adds heat.
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