Tharid is the Arabian Gulf version of the Levantine fatteh, made with a lot more bread and topped with a hearty meat and vegetable stew. It is said to have been the Prophet Muhammad’s favorite dish, and is a staple during Ramadan, being an essential part of the iftar meal. Whereas bread is an equal component of fatteh, the whole point of tharid is that bread be a substantial part of the dish. In the Gulf, the bread used is regag but this is not readily available in the United States. The nearest you can get to it is by toasting markouk (“handkerchief bread”) or very thin lavash until it is crisp, then breaking it up and using it as with regag. Both markouk and lavash will use more broth to soften, so make sure you add enough broth to soften the bread before topping it with the meat and vegetables. The cooking time and the amount of water needed will change depending on the meat you use. Last time I made tharid, I used the meat from a young ewe, which needed longer cooking.

SERVES 4 TO 6

INGREDIENTS

• 4½ pounds (2 kg) boneless lamb shoulder or leg, or neck fillets (see Note)
• 2 ounces (60 g) caul fat, chopped
• 2 large tomatoes (14 ounces/400 g)
• 4 inches (10 cm) fresh ginger, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 medium onion (5 ounces/150 g), peeled and quartered
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 black dried limes, pierced in a few places
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 dried chilies
• 2 tablespoons b’zar (Arabian Spice Mixture)
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
• ¼ teaspoon whole cloves
• 18 baby carrots
• 18 baby potatoes
• 18 baby zucchini
• 8 regag breads (or 2 to 3 handkerchief breads, toasted until crisp but not browned)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Put the meat, caul fat, and 2½ quarts (2.5 liters) water in a large pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. drain the broth and pour the same amount of clean water over the meat. This will ensure you have a clean-tasting broth.
2. Put the tomatoes, fresh ginger, garlic, and onion in a food processor and process until completely pureed.
3. Add the tomato puree to the lamb broth along with the tomato paste, dried limes, bay leaves, chilies, and spices and let bubble for 1 hour, until the lamb is tender (see Note).
4. Add the carrots and potatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook for 10 more minutes.
5. Break up 2 sheets of regag or 1 sheet of toasted handkerchief bread in a Shallow serving dish. Pour enough lamb broth over the bread to let it become soft but not soupy. Spread another layer of broken bread and Add more broth. Make another layer, softening the bread with broth until you have a fairly thick layer of moistened bread, about 2 inches (5 cm) deep. Arrange the meat and vegetables over the bread and Serve immediately.

NOTE:

• You could also make this with veal or ewe (same cuts as above). If you do, increase the water in the broth to 3 quarts (3 liters), and cook the meat for 2 hours as it will need longer cooking to become tender.