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Jews in Libya have created a unique dish that you will admire for its sophisticated and savory flavor. Mafrum combines juicy meat stuffed in potatoes and bathed in a tasty sauce.
I totally encourage you to try this stuffed vegetable recipe, it’s a game-changer!
What is Mafrum?
Mafrum is a dish from Libyan cuisine. A mixture of ground beef and spices is sandwiched inside a potato and cooked in tomato sauce.
It is made out of ground beef sandwiched in assorted vegetables, the most known ones being potatoes, eggplant and cauliflower, which are then dipped in flour and egg, fried in oil and then cooked in a red sauce.
Some versions of Mafrum even use eggplant and cauliflower to substitute potatoes Or, if you are a veggie-lover, you can make a dish full of these spectacular ingredients.
The sauce for Mafrum usually has a beautiful red color, and the entire dish is perfect to pair with Couscous.
Libyan Mafrum Recipe
It’s not a weekday dinner, I’ll admit that. This dish is often a weekend meal instead of a weekday meal because of the preparation and cooking duration. However, the fruits of your effort are a dazzling meal for your family.
There are some steps to be taken to get this dish done, and it takes some time, but it’s not difficult and it’s totally worth it, you have my word.
The first step, is to choose the vegetables you would like to make. You can use potatoes, eggplants, and cauliflower, and you can choose all or just one, whatever you like.
Anyway, get your vegetables washed and clean. If you’re using potatoes, peel them and slice them into 2-3.
In each slice, create a cut in the middle like you’d open a baguette, but cut only 3/4 through.
Then place them in a bowl with salted water for 30 minutes. This will allow them to soften up and become more flexible, making your life a lot easier when filling.
Slice your eggplant the same way, and salt it slightly on both sides so the moisture will come out, place it on a paper towel for 30 minutes.
Break small florets from your cauliflower and in the middle of the chunky part, create a small cut.
Once your vegetables are ready, drain the water out of the potatoes and let them dry for a few minutes. Wipe the moisture and salt from the eggplants.
Make a medium ball from the meat mixture and stuff it inside each piece of vegetable, be gentle, and once it’s in there, press the sides of the vegetables to sandwich it up tightly but without pressing the mixture out.
Use your intuition here, it’s easier than it sounds! Check the recipe card below for the full recipe. Enjoy!
Mafrum (Libyan Stuffed Vegetables)
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 1.5 lb. ground beef chuck
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs or matzo meal
- 1/2 yellow onion grated
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For the mafrum
- 5 large potatoes Yukon Gold
- 1 cup flour or matzo meal
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Oil for frying
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 carrots sliced to 1/4 rounds
- 2 garlic cloves sliced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Mix the ingredients of the filling.
- Peel the potatoes. Slice the potatoes lengthwise to about 1/2 slices. Each slice you then slice again lengthwise, but leave the two slices intact, so you can get a V shape if you gently open them. (The filling will go inside the V). Keep the potato leftovers.
- Divide the filling to the number potato slices you have and shape the meat into large meatballs. Fill each potato slice with the filling to get a triangular shape.
- Put the flour in a medium size bowl and the eggs in another. Mix the eggs with the salt. Deep each mafrum with flour and then with the eggs and put on a tray.
- Heat 1/4 oil in a nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat and fry the mafrum on both sides. Fry in 2-3 batches. Transfer the mafrum back to the tray.
- In a large pan with a lid that can hold all the mafrum heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrots, garlic and potato leftovers and fry for a couple of minutes. Add tomato paste and paprika and fry for a minute more. Now add 2 cups of boiling water and mix to get a smooth sauce. Add salt, and then arrange the mafrum in the sauce.
- Bring to boil, lower the heat to minimum, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for 15 minutes longer. Serve the mafrum with its sauce over couscous.
