Kafteji
Overview
Kafteji is Tunisian street food built on a single idea: fry a range of vegetables separately so each one is properly cooked, then chop them together and serve the result with bread. Potato, courgette, pepper, tomato and aubergine are the usual cast, and the chopping at the end is what makes it kafteji rather than a plate of fried vegetables. It is sold from small counters and casse-croûte shops across Tunisia and eaten at any hour, most often stuffed into bread as a sandwich. It is inexpensive, which is part of its identity: kafteji is what you eat when you want something substantial and hot without a restaurant. Fried egg is a common addition, and in many Tunisian versions it is the only protein. The version here includes ground beef or lamb, which puts it at one end of a range. Kafteji is frequently made entirely without meat, and the vegetable only preparation is at least as common in Tunisia as the meat version. Harissa, olives and a squeeze of lemon are the usual finishing touches, and the dish is eaten from a shared plate with bread as the utensil.
AFN Heritage Note
Kafteji belongs to the Tunisian tradition of casse-croûte street food, in which fried components are combined to order and served with bread. Its earliest documented date is uncertain.
Ingredients
Dietary tags are provided by contributors as a guide, not verified by AFN, and they depend on the products you buy. If you have a serious allergy, check every ingredient yourself. Cooking, allergies and your own judgement
Directions
- 1
Heat some olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic and fry until translucent.
- 2
Add the ground beef or lamb and cook until browned, breaking it up with a spoon. Stir in the tomato paste, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper, and cook for a few minutes.
- 3
In a separate deep pan, heat enough olive oil for deep frying. Fry the potato cubes until golden brown and crisp, then drain on paper towels. Repeat separately with the carrot, aubergine and green pepper, frying each until crisp.
- 4
Add the fried potato, carrot, aubergine and green pepper to the pot with the meat. Mix well and adjust the seasoning.
- 5
Simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes.
- 6
Serve hot with slices of baguette or crusty bread.
Africook’s Notes
Personal notes from Laila Yetunde- Fry each vegetable separately. They have different densities and different cooking times, and frying them together gives you burnt pepper alongside raw potato. This is the step that makes the dish work and it is the one people skip.
- Chop the fried vegetables together roughly before serving rather than leaving them in cubes. The mingling of the chopped pieces is what distinguishes kafteji from a plate of fried vegetables.
- Salt the aubergine and leave it 20 minutes before frying, then pat it dry. It absorbs considerably less oil that way.
- A fried egg on top is standard in Tunisia and the meat can be left out entirely, which is at least as common as including it.
- Harissa, olives and a squeeze of lemon are the usual finishing touches. Stuffed into a baguette it becomes the standard Tunisian sandwich version.
Reviews
2 reviews
Made this with minced lamb for our iftar table, wallah it was so delicious. Deep frying the carrot and aubergine cubes separately is a bit of extra work at the stove, but that crisp texture before it simmers in the cumin meat sauce makes all the difference.
chale frying the carrots, potatoes and aubergine separately before joining everything with the meat takes time oo! Herh, my oil was almost finished by the end. But the flavor of the ground beef with the tomato paste and paprika is very nice paa.