Emirati everyday stew · One pot

Emirati Chicken Saloona Recipe (Gulf Chicken Stew)

Light broth. Vegetables in stages. Loomi tang.

Farwa ZeeshanRecipe by Farwa ZeeshanTested in the NineFoods home kitchen

Saloona is the everyday stew of Emirati homes: chicken and vegetables in a thin, tangy tomato broth spiced with bzar and dried lime, spooned over plain rice. It is lighter than a South Asian curry. It goes wrong when the vegetables turn to mush or the broth tastes flat. The fix is adding vegetables in stages and letting the loomi simmer long enough to release its sourness.

Prep15m
Cook50m
Servings5
kcal / serving360
LevelEasy
Jump to the method

The 3 laws of emirati chicken saloona

Why this recipe works

Thin broth

Thick gravy

Saloona is meant to be soupy for rice.

Vegetables in stages

All together

Each one stays whole.

Pierced loomi

Whole loomi

Piercing lets the tang out.

Shopping and prep list

Ingredients

Servings
Tap items as you gather them · 0 of 0 ready

Saloona

The NineFoods saloona gauge

Are the vegetables ready?

Pierce a potato and a carrot with a knife.

Tap a stage to see what to do.

Method · 3 stages

Step by step

1

Spice base

Medium · 10 min
  1. Fry onion until soft, add garlic, ginger, tomatoes, paste and spices.
Look for: thick, fragrant base.
10:00
2

Chicken

Low · 20 min
  1. Add chicken, loomi, salt and hot water and simmer.
Look for: chicken half cooked, broth tangy.
20:00
3

Vegetables

Low · 20 min
  1. Add potatoes and carrots, then zucchini for the last 5 minutes.
  2. Use the gauge above.
Look for: tender vegetables, light broth.
20:00

Chef's troubleshooter

What went wrong? Pick the symptom

Why

All added at once.

Fix next time

Add hard vegetables first and zucchini last.

Why

Loomi not pierced.

Fix next time

Pierce the loomi and simmer at least 30 minutes.

Why

Loomi left too long.

Fix next time

Remove the loomi once the broth tastes right.

Why

Reduced too much.

Fix next time

Add hot water; saloona should be soupy.

Swap smart

Ingredient roles and substitutes

IngredientJob in the dishSwap with
BzarSpiceBaharat with extra cardamom
LoomiTangLemon juice at the end
ChickenMainFish or lamb
ZucchiniVegetableEggplant or okra

After the meal

Serve, store, reheat

Serve with

Plain white rice or Arabic bread.

Store

Fridge 3 days.

Reheat

Simmer gently with a splash of water.

How we tested this recipe

Tested in a home kitchen, not a studio

Farwa Zeeshan

Recipe developed and tested by Farwa Zeeshan, who cooks and tests every NineFoods recipe on a regular home stove.

  • Cooked from start to finish with the exact quantities above for 5 servings, using both the metric and US cup measures.
  • Every one of the 3 stages was timed at the stove; heat levels and the 'look for' cues are what we saw in the pan.
  • The doneness check (are the vegetables ready) and the troubleshooter come from batches that went wrong, and how we fixed them.
  • Reheating and storage advice was checked on leftovers, not guessed.

Read our full testing process

Keep cooking

Related recipes and guides

More Arabian Gulf recipes5 Traditional Desi Cooking Techniques Every Cook Should KnowHow to Tenderise MeatHow to Make Ghee at Home

Quick answers

Emirati Chicken Saloona FAQ

What is saloona?

A light Emirati stew of meat or fish and vegetables in a tangy tomato broth.

Is saloona the same as curry?

It is a Gulf stew, thinner and milder than South Asian curry.

What is loomi?

Dried black lime, which gives saloona its sourness.

Can I make fish saloona?

Yes, add firm fish for the last 10 minutes.