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Mahshi is one of the Middle East’s most popular dishes for when you have a feast and want to make an effort for your guests.
Each country has slight variations in how they cook their stuffed vegetables which makes it a little more interesting when your friend invites you round for some mahshi.
What is Mahshi?
Mahshi is a dish that consists of vegetables filled with ground beef and rice and cooked in a tomato-cumin sauce.
Most often, Lebanese summer squash (kusa) is used for this dish, but there are a few variations based on squash, eggplant, bell peppers, and even tomatoes or potatoes.
Origin of Mahshi
Mahshi is one of the many dishes of Ottoman origin that spread throughout the territory of the ancient empire, from the Balkans to Egypt through the Levant.
The name mahshi can translate as stuffed squash. In Croatian and Serbian, this dish takes the name of punjene tikvice. In Albania, it is called kungulleshka të mbushura. Finally in Turkey, it is called Kabak Dolmasi.
In Egypt, mahshi is present on all banquet tables for weddings, family reunions, and especially during the celebrations of the month of Ramadan.
As this dish is not expensive, it is, without doubt, one of the most popular in Egypt. It is often found at meals for families across the country. Meat-free for the poor and the wealthy.
Mahshi Recipe
The mahshi can thus be assembled by filling a Dutch oven with tomato and potato slices which will serve as a base for the zucchini. The zucchini stuffed with rice and meat are placed on top and then the tomato sauce, broth, olive oil, and lemon are added.
After a long stew, the zucchini is very tender, the rice cooked and the meat very soft. The reduced sauce is flavored with cumin and this dish can thus be tasted.
Mahshi Variation
Mahshi
Ingredients
For the rice mixture:
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil.
- 1 medium yellow onion Chopped.
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste.
- 1 can (16oz) tomato sauce.
- 2 cups short grain rice Note1.
- 1 cup fresh parsley chopped. Note2
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped. Note 2
- 1/3 cup fresh dill chopped. Note2
- 1 Tablespoon dry mint.
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste.
The above mixture is enough for one of the following: Note3
- 4 pounds Mexican squash.
- 2.8 or almost 3 pounds Anaheim pepper.
- 2.8 or almost 3 pounds white or Japanese eggplant.
- 1/2 pound grape leaves.
Cooking liquid:
- 2 1/2 cup hot stock or water.
- 1 bouillon cube.
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
Instructions
Make the rice mixture:
- In a pot over medium heat, add oil and then sauté onions until translucent for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the tomato sauce and paste. Stir to dissolve tomato paste.
- When it starts bubbling, add rice, spices and herbs cook for just two minutes.
- Turn heat off and set aside to cool down.
Prepare the veggies:
- Wash the veggies thoroughly and clean them well, Note4.
- Core veggies and make sure not to tear the walls especially when making zucchini or eggplants. Note5
- For Anaheim pepper, I usually like to cut it in half for easy stuffing and make sure to buy long straight ones.
Stuff the veggies:
- Stuff each one with the rice mixture making sure not to reach the top, so basically you want to leave about 1/2 cm of the top of your vegetable.
- Rice will expand after cooking and if you are overstuffing the veggies, rice will come off. Not that it will taste bad but the presentation will not be as fancy.
- Arrange herbs stems, the inside of your veggies that you just took out, lemon slices, tomato slices or onion slices at the bottom of your cooking pot to prevent scorching.
- Arrange the stuffed veggies in your pot.
Cook:
- Dissolve bouillon and tomato paste in the hot water.
- Pour into the pot so that the cooking liquid is halfway through the veggies layers.
- Place pot on medium high, bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes until veggies are cooked. Note6
- Wait for it to cool down a bit and serve.
- Serve Mahshi with tabbouleh and tzatziki sauce.
