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Lentil Hashwa

Lentil Hashwa is a traditional Emirati recipe (from the United Arab Emirates) for a classic stew of lentils with spices and fried chicken served as an accompaniment. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Emirati version of: Lentil Hashwa.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

20 minutes

Total Time:

40 minutes

Serves:

8

Rating:

Tags : Spice RecipesChicken RecipesFowl RecipesBean RecipesUae Recipes

Hashweh or hashwah means 'stuffing' in Arabic, which is one of the ways this fragrant dish can be used. This recipe is most often thought as of being Lebanese dishes (though that version is typically made with leaves and not lentis). It is sometimes paired with rice and/or vegetables to create delicious side dishes like stuffed bell peppers, zucchini etc. This is an Emirati version that is mainly based on using lentils, though with a little meat. If you would like to make this a vegetarian version simply omit the meat whilst preparing.

Ingredients:

500g cooked brown lentils (boiled until just tender and drained)
75g chicken thigh meat, chopped
1 large onion finely diced
1 tsp ghee
1 tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp freshly-grated nutmeg
⅛ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp stock powder (chicken or vegetable, or use a dry stock cube, crumbled)
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
6 garlic cloves crushed and mashed
salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
125ml water if needed
2 tbsp fried pine nuts, to garnish
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley, to garnish

Method:

Place a frying pan over medium heat. Add a little oil and use to fry the chopped chicken meat for about 10 minutes, or until nicely coloured and cooked through. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and set aside (for a vegetarian version simply omit this meat).

Place a medium-sized frying pan over medium-high heat. Add ghee (and the oil used to cook the chicken) along with the onions. Fry the onions for about 8 minutes, until golden in colour. Now stir in the cooked brown lentils and cook for 2 minutes.

Scatter over the spices and stir to combine then adjust the seasonings to taste. Stir to mix thoroughly then, working a tablespoon at a time, stir in the pomegranate molasses. If required, add a little water to loosen the mixture.

Bring to a simmer then continue cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated away (do not cook until too dry as the mixture should remain shiny and moist).

Stir through the fried chicken and allow to heat through.

For the garnishes, heat a small frying on medium heat. Add ghee and pine nuts and fry briefly until golden. Be careful, they burn really quickly. Transfer the nuts to a paper towel on a plate to remove any excess oil.

Turn the lentil mixture into a warmed serving bowl, stir in the parsley and toasted pine nuts then serve.