Recipe - Hulba (Fenugreek Paste)

One fourth cup Ground hulba (fenugreek)
1 cup Cold water
2 Hot chilis (more if desired)
Salt
1 Tomato; peeled and chopped
One fourth cup Chopped onion
OR spring onion
2 Garlic cloves; crushed
One fourth teaspoon Hawayij
1 cup Finely chopped boiled lamb
OR chicken
1 cup Boiled lentils
1 tablespoon Chopped coriander leaves
2 tablespoon Clarified butter or oil
1 Bone (or chicken stock)

Place fenugreek in a bowl and add cold water. Leave to soak for 5 hours.
Pour off water and beat until frothy with a fork.

Remove stalks and seeds from chilis and chop finely (take care in handling
them). Blend into fenugreek paste with salt to taste and place in a pot.
This is the actual Hulba.

Add remaining ingredients except the stock or substitute some of the
ingredients with whatever is on hand, e.g. minced boiled potatoes for rice,
cooked dried beans for lentils. (For 1 cup cooked lentils, simmer One half cup
red lentils in 1One half cups water for 1520 minutes until thick.)

Blend ingredients in pot and add enough stock to moisten. Place over medium
heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until bubbling and thick. Add a
little more stock during heating if necessary.

Adjust seasoning with salt and serve in a deep bowl with khobz, malvj, or
the readily available Lebanese flat bread for scooping up the mixture.
Serve in individual bowls if preferred.

Source: The Complete Middle East Cookbook by Tess Mallos Typos by: Karen
Mintzias