A Taste of Tunisia

When  I think of Tunisian food I always think about the movie 'Cous Cous' or  Le Graine et le Mulet.

Film still from http://www.filmsufi.com/2018/11/the-secret-of-grain-abdellatif-kechiche.html

  This is the movie that really taught me how to prepare cous cous (steamed over your vegetable stew and getting heady with the spicing).  The recipe is taken from the film but I have just created a vegetarian/vegan version.

Cous Cous with Chickpeas, Salade Mechouia and olives

Cous Cous with Chickpeas

Couple handfuls of chickpeas (pre-cooked)
1 pepper ( I used a fabulous orange pepper that tasted just great)
1 onion halfed and sliced thinly
1 garlic clove (finely chopped)
2/3 potatoes (Cubes)
1/2 carrots (quartered)
1 courgette (cut into chunks)
1 chilli pepper (finely chopped)

100g couscous (I half fill a pasta dish with couscous which works out right for 1/2 people)
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp ground cayenne or chilli pepper
1 tbsp cumin (seeds)
1 tbsp cumin (ground)
Olive oil
Seasoning

(serves 2)

1. Heat the oil in a heavy based saucepan and fry the onion until golden.
2. Add the garlic and cook off for around 30 seconds.
3. Meanwhile to prepare the couscous soak it. I usually put a layer of couscous in the bottom of a pasta bowl and pour boiling water over it so that there is about double quantities of water to couscous (like rice making). Let it sit and swell in the dish.
4. Back with the vegetable sauce - add the cumin seeds to the saucepan to bring out that cumin taste, and the cayenne/chilli.
5. Add the fresh chilli (dependent on taste you can vary the quantities of cayenne and chilli.
6. Add the tomato puree and let it cook for 5 minutes.
7. Slowly add some water to the mix.... 1/2 litre to 3/4. Stir throughly.
8. Add the chick peas, the carrots peeled and quartered and the pototoes (cubes).
9. Once the couscous has soaked up much of the water pour it into a colander/steamer and place over the simmering sauce to steam the cous cous - this will make the cous cous even more light and fluffy.
10. I steamed the couscous for a good 10/15 minutes before taking it off the heat and fluffing it with a fork.
11. Add the rest of vegetables and continue to cook until soft.
12. Put the couscous back into the colander and reheat over the sauce. Flavour the sauce and the couscous with the ground cumin.
13. To serve place the couscous in a large serving bowl and mix in the sauce - gently folding in the mixture. The couscous should soak up the sauce and turn a luscious red colour. Flavour with pepper and salt if you wish. Enjoy!

Salade Mechouia

Salade Mechouia is a traditional Tunisian salad of grilled peppers, tomatoes and garlic with some aromatics; usually served with hard boiled eggs and tuna... this I omitted.

2 large green peppers
2 tomatoes
1 large clove garlic
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp of ground caraway seed
Juice of 1/2 small lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
3-4 olives pitted
salt

1. Wash the peppers and tomatoes.
2. On a medium skillet or held over the flames of a gas hob lightly char the peppers.
3. In a frying pans char the tomatoes and garlic.
4. Let the peppers, tomatoes and garlic cool and then peel.
5. De-seed the peppers and tomatoes.
6. Mash the garlic clove with the flat side of the knife.
7. Place the peeled peppers, tomatoes and garlic in a food processor and add the coriander, caraway and lemon juice. Pulse 5-8 time until the vegetables are well-minced but not a smooth puree.
8. If you do not have a food processor you can finely dice the vegetables; the consistency should be like above.
9. Garnish with the olives and serve with your cous cous.

Bami, Mujadara and Fatteh'd Magdous

Bami - Okra Stew and Mujadara 

Some time ago I investigated the Syrian cuisine for potential vegan options... looks like it is easily adaptable to change because of the about of vegetables in the cuisine.

My first adaptation was of a beef and okra stew - Bami.  So I just left the meat elements out and you know what it was delicious.  The recipe was from the wonderful SyrianCooking.com... there are just so many dishes that can be either used straight away by the vegetarian or vegan or can be amended.

So back to the meatless Bami.... the wonder ingredient in Bami is the Syrian spice mix Bharat - find the spice mix on SyrianCooking.com.  So simple... just whizz up in a spice grinder or grind in a pestle and mortar with the following proportions....

So I have created a vegan Syrian dish that is so tasty....

Bami


450 g/ 1 lb small okra or okra cut into pieces
400 g tin of tinned tomatoes, cut or smooshed into small pieces
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup of vegetable stock
1 head of garlic (peeled and chopped)
3 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup /  50 ml oil (I used olive oil)
1/2 tbsp Bharat


1. Heat up the oil on a medium heat and add half the okra.  Saute for 5 minutes. Strain the okra out and keep aside whilst you cook the next batch of okra. Set aside.
2. Saute the garlic until light brown then add the okra back in and add the rest of the ingredients.
3. Gentle simmer for about 1 hour.
4. Serve with rice or Mujadara (see below).


Mujadara


Mujadara is just a simple lentil and bulgar wheat dish served with crunchy onion. It appears to be ubiquitous dish of the middle-east... Lebanon, Syria, Egypt... just slight variations wherever you go.  It did go well with the Bami... a very satisfying dish.


2 cups/400g of brown lentils
2 cups/280g of bulgar wheat
2 onions (halved and sliced thinly)
3/4 cup/180 ml of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Wash the lentils and cover with water in a saucepan.  Boil for about 20 to 30 minutes until done but still firm.  Drain but keep 3 cups/just over 700ml of cooking water and set aside.
2. Saute the onions until they start to turn yellow. Remove half at that point and cook the rest until they turn brown and crunchy.
3. Wash the bulgar wheat and the lentils and reserved cooking water. Add about 1 tsp of salt and a little pepper and mix in.  Leave on a medium heat until most of the water evaporates.  At that point cover and leave on a very low heat for about 15 minutes.... but you will need to check on it every 5 minutes or so and add water if needed.
4. When the bulgar and lentil mixture is done add the yellow onions and some olive oil and mix well.
5. You can serve it with the crunchy onion on top.


Fatteh'd Magdous - Aubergines in a Tomato and Yoghurt Sauce (Serves 6)

Again I took a meat dish and veganised it... well left out the meat.  It made for a great main dish.... well aubergine and yoghurt just go so well. The inspiration comes from Delia Dogmouch recipe on www.cookforsyria.com, and with a little tweaking even the meat eaters who I served this to were impressed. I am now on the hunt for baby aubergines where I can really do this dish justice.

3 aubergines or 12 baby aubergines
50 g pine nuts
1 onion, finely chopped
1 onion, finely sliced
150g walnuts crushed keep in small pieces
1 pinch cinnamon
2 tomatoes or about 1/2 can of tinned tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
250 ml water
pinch of sugar
1.5 kg yoghurt (I used coconut yoghurt)
3 tbsp tahini
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp lemon juice
125ml water
1/2 tsp salt
200 g pitta
30g parsley, chopped
30 g toasted almonds

1. Cut tops off of the aubergines and slice length ways into just over 1 cm slices. If you are using baby aubergines cut tops off.
2. Fry the aubergine in a little oil. Cover and cook until tender (about 20 to 40 minutes).
3. In another pan toast the pine nuts in a little oil and set aside.
4. In same pan, add finely chopped onion and cook until translucent. Add cinnamon and half the pine nuts, and walnuts and season. Set aside. 
5. Blanche the tomatoes to de-seed and skin or use 1/2 tin of tomatoes.  Dice the tomatoes.
6. Cook the finely sliced onions and add tomato paste.  Add the tomato, pinch of sugar and seasoning.  Add about a cup of water and bring to gentle boil; then cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
7. Whisk the yoghurt, tahini, garlic and lemon juice and season.
8. Toast the pitta (cut into small square first) in pan with oil or alternatively toast in a oven.
9. If using baby aubergines cut a slit in the top and stuff with the pine nut and walnut mixture.  If you are using larger aubergines layer the pine nut and walnut mixture over the aubergines slices.
10. On serving in a large baking dish layer in this order; pitta, yoghurt mixture, tomato mixture, and aubergine. Sprinkle with slivers of almonds and the rest of pine nuts. Finally sprinkle the parsley on top.