Yahni is a spicy stew/soup made with fish, seafood, meat, vegetables, and lentils. It is a dish of Greek origin, now part of various cuisines. Yahni is easy to prepare and can be served with rice, bread, or flatbreads.
Yahni, also known as yakhni, is a spicy stew or soup made from fish, seafood, lamb, chicken, beef, vegetables, and lentils. The word yahni is Turkish, while the word yakhni is Urdu. It takes its name from a terracotta Persian vessel in which food is traditionally cooked; the earth vessel infuses the yahni stew with a distinctive earthy flavour. It is a dish of Greek origin which is now part of Greek, Indian, Turkish, Persian, Romanian and Bulgarian cuisine; the Turks introduced the dish to the Balkans and it has since become a culinary favorite there. This stew is considered a comfort food and is especially recommended on a cold day; it can be very spicy and tangy in taste.
There are many regional variations of yahni, including vegetarian, non-vegetarian, and mixed versions. The main ingredients required for this dish include carrots, potatoes, lentils, zucchini, onion, garlic, coriander seeds, sage leaves, bay leaves, parsley, olive oil, tomato paste, vegetable stock or water, sugar, salt and pepper. Beef, chicken, lamb and fish are added to create a non-vegetarian version. Yahni ingredients also include cheese, egg, vegetable cubes and curry powder. Sometimes almonds, cherries and honey are added to the dish.
It’s quite easy to prepare this dish at home. For a basic vegetarian dish, lentils are boiled in a pot of salted water for about 10 minutes, then removed from the heat, drained, washed in cold water, and set aside. A little olive oil is heated in the next pot and a finely chopped onion is fried with garlic, coriander and sage for several minutes until the onions become translucent. The rest of the finely chopped vegetables, along with salt, sugar, spices and herbs for seasoning, are added to the pot and fried.
The lentils and vegetable stock are now added to the pot, along with more salt and pepper for taste if needed, and the pot is simmered for half an hour. The mixture is cooked until much of the broth has evaporated, and then the tomato sauce is added to the pot. If tomato sauce is not added, it is known as white yahni.
Yahni is served and eaten piping hot. It can be eaten with rice; with Indian flatbreads like naan, roti and flatbread; or with white or wholemeal bread. It is served in many restaurants specializing in Persian, Turkish, Greek, Eastern European and South Asian cuisines.
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