Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Djiboutian

Fah-fah

Non-vegetarian

A hearty, peppery Djiboutian soup of bone-in goat simmered with potato, carrot and green chilli and finished with a fistful of coriander. Usually eaten with flatbread.

Fah-fah is a Djiboutian soup, ready in about 2 hours and made with goat meat, green chilli and coriander leaves. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Bowls of fah-fah lamb and vegetable soup with bread and bananas
Photo: U.S. Department of Agriculture / Wikimedia Commons · public-domain
Prep
15 min
Cook
1 h 45 min
Total
2 h
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
224

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Put the goat (opens in a new tab) in a large pot with the water and bring to the boil, skimming off the foam.

  2. Step 2

    Add the onion (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), cumin (opens in a new tab), black pepper (opens in a new tab) and 1 tsp salt, then simmer gently until the goat (opens in a new tab) is tender.

    • 75 min
    • low heat

  3. Step 3

    Add the potatoes (opens in a new tab), carrots (opens in a new tab), tomato (opens in a new tab), chilli and remaining salt and simmer until the vegetables are tender.

    • 20 min
    • medium-low heat
    A sauce simmering in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Nanda Mends on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Stir in most of the coriander, scatter the rest on top and serve with lemon (opens in a new tab) wedges.

      Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
      How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Djibouti · Commonly attributedAlso popular in SomaliaMore food from Djibouti
    Dish
    Lunch · Dinner · Soups · Main courses
    Cooking method
    Simmered, Boiled
    Taste
    peppery, spicy (chilli heat), herby, savoury
    Diet
    No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
    All labelsNon-vegetarian · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · High-protein · Low-fat · Calorie-conscious
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    One-pot · Make-ahead
    Cook more with
    Goat meat · Green chilli · Coriander leaves · Onion · Garlic · Potato
    Techniques
    Boiling · Simmering

    Allergens

    None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    224 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 607 g · recipe makes 6

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 54%
    • Carbohydrate 32%
    • Fat 14%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy224 kcal37 kcal
    Protein29.9 g4.9 g
    Carbohydrate17.8 g2.9 g
    Net carbohydrate14.8 g2.4 g
    Sugars——
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre3 g0.5 g
    Fat3.4 g0.6 g
    Saturated fat1 g0.2 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol76 mg13 mg
    Sodium917 mg151 mg
    Salt equivalent2.3 g0.4 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    1004 mg
    Calcium
    86 mg
    Iron
    4.8 mg
    Magnesium
    —
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    205 µg
    Vitamin C
    26 mg
    Vitamin D
    —
    Vitamin B12
    1.5 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    33 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: lemon.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Skim the foam well in the first 10 minutes for a clear broth.

    Common mistakes

    • Adding the coriander too early — it loses its fresh flavour; stir it in at the end.

    Serve with

    • Serve with lahoh or other flatbread to dip.

    Food safety

    • Simmer stewing beef, goat or lamb until fork-tender; cool leftovers quickly and refrigerate within 2 hours.

    Storage

    • Keeps 3 days refrigerated; freezes well without the coriander.

    Reheating

    • Reheat until piping hot and add fresh coriander.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    Used in steps 1, 3

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

    You might also like

    • Lahoh

      Djiboutian · 4 h 35 min · 308 kcal · Vegetarian

    • Bubbling saltah stew with potato and herbs in a black stone pot

      Saltah

      Yemeni · 2 h 55 min · 411 kcal

    • A serving of Lagman

      Lagman

      Uzbek · 2 h 10 min · 808 kcal