Matbucha
Matbucha (Mott-Boo-Chah) means ‘cooked salad’ in Arabic. It is served as an appetizer, often as part of a meze table. It has many variations of the recipe and it is one of the most popular salad in Israel.
Equipment
- Small pot
- Large bowl
- Frying pan pan
- Slotted spoon
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
Ingredients
- 2 red bell peppers
- 1 lbs fresh tomatoes (any variety works)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 long spicy peppers
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1 tbsp white wine
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ lemon
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Put the peppers on a hot grill or directly on the flame of a gas burner. Rotate until charred on all sides. Transfer to a bowl and cover to let steam. When cool, peel and core the peppers.
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Cut a thin x on the bottom of the tomatoes and plunge into boiling water for a minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and cool in water. When cool, peel skin.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan. Roughly chop the tomatoes and both peppers, add them to the pan with the garlic and add wine, coriander, cumin, paprika and salt.
- Cook slowly stirring uncovered for about 20 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed. Squeeze the lemon and sprinkle with cilantro. Enjoy.
Notes
It is traditionally served with pita bread or with Challah (on Shabbat).