Matbucha is a Maghrebi dish that is composed of tomatoes, roasted bell peppers, chili pepper, and garlic. The word “matbucha” means “cooked,” and this is an important part of the food culture. This snack is typically served as an appetizer or as part of a meze table. It is an excellent appetizer to accompany meat or fish, and it is often served as a dip for bread.
When you make this dish, you’ll want to start with tomatoes as the base ingredient. You can use whole tomatoes or crushed tomatoes from a can. You can also use fresh tomatoes, but it’s best to peel and seed them first. After they’re peeled, blanch them to loosen the skins and make them easier to work with. Once you’ve done this, you can add other ingredients, such as avocado or basil leaves, and simmer the mixture for an hour.
Matbucha Recipe
Matbucha Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- Green bell peppers 3/2 lbs
- 1 medium jalapeño pepper or more to taste
- Tomato cubes of 56 grams or 8 large tomatoes peeled and diced (2 large cans)
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes or more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Paprika
Instructions
- Roast the bell peppers, deseed them and removed the charred skin, then chop up.
- Remove the seeds from the jalapeño pepper and chop it finely. (If you have sensitive skin, wear gloves for this step). You can add more jalapeños for maximum heat if you like a spicy matbucha. The recipe has a little boost, but it's not too spicy.
- Combine diced tomatoes, chopped jalapeño pepper, roasted peppers, salt, sugar, garlic, and chili flakes, in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low until Matbucha cooks at medium and constant levels. Check the temperature of the Matbucha and stir every ten minutes to make sure it does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Let the mixture cook for 65 to 75 minutes until most of the moisture dries up.
- When most of the liquid has evaporated, and the mixture is thick enough, you can add the oil.
- Whisk oil and paprika in a bowl.
- Pour the seasoned oil into the pan and mix.
- Let the matbucha cook for around 30 minutes and stir every 5 minutes. Taste the food at the end of cooking and adjust the taste to your taste: more sugar for sweetness, pepper for spices, and possibly salt.
- Remove Matbucha from the stove and allow it to cool completely.
- Serve cooled at room temperature.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
© Food And Meal
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the Spoonacular Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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Some of you may feel quite difficult to make Matbucha, but in fact, only with some simple steps, you can have a delicious sauce for your meal. When cooking this sauce, the thing you need to do is be persistent, because the dish is delicious if most of the moisture dries up and the sauce is thick enough. Matbucha is not only suitable for both vegetarian and meat-eater but also good for your health. Cooked tomatoes have a high antioxidant effect and olive oil provides phytochemicals that help fight inflammation effectively.
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