Daghabees is a beloved bread-and-stew dish of the southern Saudi highlands, the Bahah and Asir, particularly the Ghamid and Zahran lands. Hand-shaped, fist-sized pieces of whole-wheat dough are cooked directly in lamb broth, where they absorb the flavour and soften. It is a hearty winter staple of the southern highland table, eaten communally from a large pot, and the fist-shaping (rather than discs or sheets) is the regional marker.
Soft, chewy, fist-sized dough pieces soaked in a deep, savoury lamb broth, the dough having drunk up the soup, the meat tender alongside. Eaten in bowls, it is hearty, warming and the mountain staple.
A firm whole-wheat dough is shaped by hand into fist-sized pieces, which are dropped raw into the simmering lamb broth. They cook in the broth, absorbing its flavour and softening on the outside while staying chewy in the centre. The broth is built on lamb, onion, dried lime and seasonal vegetables. The fist-shaping (rather than flat discs) gives a different texture, with more chew in the centre.
Variations
A vegetable-rich version adds zucchini and pumpkin. Some add tomato paste.
On the Palate
Where Daghabees sits in the Saudi flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6How it's made
6 steps · 30 min
- 18 min
Knead 350g whole-wheat flour with water and salt to a firm dough; rest 30 minutes.
- 25 min
Shape the dough into 8 fist-sized pieces; set aside.
- 316 min
Brown 500g bone-in lamb in 2 tbsp ghee; add 1 onion, 2 dried limes and 1.5 litres water; simmer 45 minutes.
- 412 min
Drop the dough pieces into the simmering broth; cook uncovered 20 minutes until soft and soaked.
Watch outDrop the fist-sized dough raw into the simmering broth and cook uncovered — a hard boil disintegrates them, but too gentle and the centers stay doughy.
- 54 min
Add 1 tsp cumin and salt; simmer 5 minutes.
- 64 min
Rest 10 minutes; serve in deep bowls, dough and broth together.
Archive tool suggestions — not reviewed
These legacy suggestions have not been evidence-reviewed and are not presented as required tools.
