Slata Mechouia
Tunisia's roasted-pepper salad: peppers, tomatoes, garlic and chillies charred over flame until blistered black, then peeled and chopped to a coarse, smoky relish. Olive oil, lemon, capers and a tin of tuna often join; eats with bread for scooping. The signature smoke is from open-flame char.
Overview
Peppers, tomatoes and chillies char whole on a gas flame (or under a fierce grill) until blackened and collapsed; the skins peel away and the flesh chops to a rough paste. Garlic chars too, mellowing as it does. Lemon, olive oil, capers and salt fold through; tuna and hard-boiled eggs sometimes top.
Ingredients
- 4 red peppers (large)
- 2 green peppers (large)
- 4 ripe tomatoes
- 4 long red chillies (or 2 jalapeños, deseed for less heat)
- 6 garlic cloves (skin on)
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon (juice)
- 1 teaspoon ground caraway (or cumin)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons capers (rinsed)
- A small bunch of flat-leaf parsley (chopped)
To serve (optional)
- 160 g tin tuna (in olive oil, drained)
- 2 hard-boiled eggs (quartered)
- 8 black olives
- Crusty bread (or flatbread)
Method
Stage 1 - Char
- Place the peppers, tomatoes, chillies and garlic (in skin) directly on a gas flame or under a fierce grill.
- Char each, turning, until the skins are blackened all over and the flesh feels collapsed:
- Tomatoes: 4-5 minutes.
- Chillies: 4-5 minutes.
- Garlic (skin on): 4-5 minutes.
- Peppers: 8-10 minutes.
Stage 2 - Steam
- Place the charred peppers, tomatoes and chillies in a bowl; cover with cling film or a plate; rest 10 minutes (the steam loosens the skins).
Stage 3 - Peel and chop
- Peel off the blackened skins; discard.
- Remove pepper and chilli seeds and stems.
- Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins.
- Chop everything roughly with a knife on a board - the salad should be coarse, not pureed.
Stage 4 - Combine
- Tip into a bowl; toss with the olive oil, lemon juice, caraway, salt, capers and half the parsley.
- Taste; adjust salt and lemon.
Stage 5 - Serve
- Spread on a flat plate; create a swirl with the back of a spoon.
- Top with chunks of tuna, hard-boiled egg and olives if using.
- Drizzle with extra olive oil; scatter the rest of the parsley.
- Serve with crusty bread for scooping.
Notes
- Char over flame for the smoke: The flame-roasted character is what defines slata mechouia. Roasting in the oven works but lacks the smoky depth.
- Don't blend: A food processor turns this into a bland purée. Knife-chopping keeps the texture coarse and the colours visible.
- Caraway, not cumin: Tunisian cooking uses caraway widely; it gives the salad its authentic note. Cumin works as a substitute.
Storage
- Keeps 4 days refrigerated; deepens overnight. Bring to room temperature before serving.
More like this
Lablabi
Chickpeas (pre-soaked overnight and slow-cooked, OR tinned for speed) simmer in their cooking water with crushed garlic, cumin, salt and a spoon of harissa for 20 minutes. The broth thickens slightly as a few chickpeas break down. Deep bowls are loaded with torn stale baguette. The hot broth ladles over to soften the bread. Each bowl is topped with a soft-poached or soft-boiled egg, a drizzle of olive oil, lemon juice, a fresh spoon of harissa, a heap of canned tuna, olives, capers and a sprinkle of cumin.
Kefta Tagine
Beef or lamb mince is mixed with grated onion, garlic, fresh parsley and coriander, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, salt and pepper; shaped into small (3 cm) balls. A tomato sauce is built in the tagine: onion sweats in olive oil, garlic, cumin and paprika join, tomato passata and a stock cube simmer for 10 minutes. The meatballs are nestled in; cooked for 12 minutes turning once. Eggs are cracked into wells; lid on; 4 minutes more until the whites are just set. Scattered with parsley and served hot.
Ful Medames
Whole dried fava beans soak overnight, then simmer slowly until the skins soften and the beans are completely tender, they'll break down on the edges, stay whole at the heart. Garlic, lemon, cumin and salt mash through; a generous pour of olive oil at the end. Tomato, onion, parsley and a hard-boiled egg or two on top.
Lahori Chapli Kebab
Minced beef is mixed with crushed coriander seed, anardana (pomegranate seed) for sourness, finely chopped onion, green chilli, ginger and a generous handful of chopped fresh coriander. Egg, gram flour and a small amount of cornflour bind the mixture loosely. The patties are pressed paper-thin (chapli means slipper, after the shape) and shallow-fried hot in beef fat or oil until the edges crisp and the centre stays juicy.