How to Make Lebanese Potato and Beef Stew (Yakhnet Batata)

Yakhneh means stew in Lebanese Arabic, and yakhnet batata bi lahme (potato stew with meat) is one of the most common ones on the table. Cubes of beef or lamb simmer until tender, then potatoes cook in the tomato broth until they start to soften at the edges and thicken the sauce. The finishing touch is the taqliyeh: garlic and fresh coriander fried in oil and stirred in near the end.

It is everyday food from Beirut to the villages, eaten with vermicelli rice, raw onion or radishes, and a squeeze of lemon. The old version of this recipe called for five pounds of beef to three of potatoes; the balance below is closer to what Lebanese families actually cook.

Ingredients

For the meat

• 750 g (1 2/3 lb) beef chuck or lamb shoulder, cut into 3 cm (1 1/4 inch) cubes
• 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
• 1.5 liters (6 cups) water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon salt

For the stew

• 1 kg (2.2 lb) waxy or all-purpose potatoes, peeled and cut into 3 cm (1 1/4 inch) cubes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 400 g (14 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon seven spice (baharat)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 head garlic (about 10 cloves), crushed
• 1 bunch fresh coriander (cilantro), about 50 g (2 oz), finely chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon, about 45 ml (3 tablespoons)
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Pat the meat dry. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a heavy pot over medium high heat and brown the cubes in two batches, 3 to 4 minutes per batch, until well colored on most sides.
2. Return all the meat to the pot, add the water, cinnamon, bay leaf and salt and bring to a boil. Skim any foam, then cover, lower the heat and simmer gently for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until the meat is tender. Discard the cinnamon and bay leaf.
3. While the meat cooks, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a frying pan over medium high heat and fry the potato cubes for 8 to 10 minutes, turning, until golden on several sides. They do not need to cook through. This step keeps them from falling apart.
4. In the same pan, lower the heat to medium and cook the onion for 6 to 8 minutes until soft and golden. Stir in the tomato paste, seven spice and pepper and cook 1 minute.
5. Add the onion mixture, crushed tomatoes and potatoes to the meat. There should be enough broth to just cover the potatoes; add water if needed. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, until a knife slides easily into the potatoes and the sauce has thickened slightly.
6. Make the taqliyeh. Warm the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute, then add the coriander and stir 1 minute more until it wilts and smells sweet.
7. Stir the taqliyeh and lemon juice into the stew and simmer 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt. Serve hot.

Tips for the best yakhnet batata

• Brown the meat in batches. Crowding the pot steams it and you lose the flavor that browning gives the broth.
• Waxy or all-purpose potatoes hold their shape. Floury potatoes will dissolve into the sauce.
• Add the garlic and coriander at the end, not the start. Their fresh flavor is what makes this stew taste Lebanese.
• For a quicker version, use a pressure cooker for the meat: 20 minutes at high pressure.

Variations

• Batata bi kizbra without tomato: skip the tomato paste and crushed tomatoes for a pale, lemony stew with lots of garlic and coriander.
• Use kafta instead of cubed meat: brown small kafta fingers and add them with the potatoes. See our kafta and potato stew.
• Add 2 carrots, sliced, or a handful of peas with the potatoes.

How to serve and store

Serve with vermicelli rice, raw onion wedges or radishes, and lemon. The stew keeps 3 days in the fridge and tastes even better reheated. It freezes for up to 3 months, though the potatoes turn slightly softer.

A good tomato paste and olive oil carry this stew. Anamel in Abadiyeh makes tomato paste the village way, and Rinawi presses extra virgin olive oil in Koura.

Frequently Asked Questions