Emirati everyday weeknight stew — chunks of lamb (or chicken) slow-simmered with potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and baharat into a hearty tomato-based stew. Served with rice or khubz bread. The universal Emirati family weekday dinner; lighter than machboos, faster to make.
Saloona is the universal Emirati family stew — the everyday weeknight dish that doesn't require the lengthy preparation of machboos or harees. The Emirati version uses tomato-based broth with baharat (vs the loomi-heavy machboos). It sits squarely in the Persian-Indian-Bedouin tradition of Emirati cooking. Modern Emirati homes serve saloona 2-3 times per week.
Spoon up saloona — orange-red tomato-based broth, chunks of fork-tender lamb, golden potato cubes, soft red-and-green pepper strips, eggplant pieces, herbs floating on top. Bite: the broth is deeply savory (tomato, baharat warmth, loomi tang), the lamb melts in the mouth (45 min of simmering has worked its magic), the potatoes have absorbed the broth, the peppers add sweet caramelized notes. With white rice to soak the sauce and khubz to mop the bowl, this is the Emirati weekday family dinner — simple, satisfying, sustaining.
Browning the lamb develops Maillard compounds. The long initial simmer (45 min) extracts collagen for body. Adding the vegetables later preserves their texture. Loomi provides the signature tang.
Variations
Saloona djaaj (chicken). Saloona rabian (shrimp). Saloona with okra (slimy texture, summer). Vegetarian saloona. Modern Dubai restaurant versions with chickpeas added.
On the Palate
Where Saloona Lahm sits in the Emirati flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
11 steps · 25 min active + 50 min waiting
- 14 min
Cube 800 g bone-in lamb shoulder (or chicken) into 4-cm pieces.
- 29 min
In a large pot, heat 3 tbsp ghee. Add 2 chopped onions + 6 minced garlic; cook 8 min.
- 37 min
Add the lamb; brown 6 min.
Watch outLet the lamb sit undisturbed until a brown crust forms before stirring — that seared color is where the deep savory flavor comes from.
- 43 min
Add 1 tbsp baharat + 1 tsp ground cumin + 1 tsp ground coriander + 1 tsp turmeric + 1 tsp salt + 1 tsp black pepper; cook 2 min.
- 56 min
Add 4 chopped tomatoes + 2 tbsp tomato paste + 1 dried loomi (punctured) + 1 chopped chili (optional); cook 5 min.
Watch outPuncture the dried loomi before it goes in — pierced, it slowly leaks its sour-citrus tang into the broth; whole and sealed, you get almost nothing.
- 648 min
Add 1.5 L lamb stock; bring to a simmer. Cover; cook 45 min.
- 75 min
Add 500 g potatoes (cubed) + 1 chopped red bell pepper + 1 chopped green bell pepper + 1 chopped eggplant.
Watch outOnly add the potatoes and peppers after the lamb's had its 45-minute head start — go in too early and they cook to mush before the meat's tender.
- 822 min
Continue simmering 20-25 min until lamb is tender and vegetables are cooked.
- 92 min
Stir in 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro + 2 tbsp chopped parsley + 1 tbsp lime juice.
- 101 min
Taste; adjust salt.
- 114 min
Serve in deep bowls: saloona generously ladled. Accompany with: white rice or khubz flatbread for sopping. Drink with mint tea or laban (yogurt drink).
