Taktouka (Moroccan Pepper and Tomato Salad)
Abuja, Nigeria · View all recipes
Overview
Taktouka is roasted peppers and grated tomato cooked down with onion, garlic, cumin and paprika into a thick warm salad. It is Moroccan, also popular in Algeria, and it is a mezze dish rather than a leaf salad. The name explains the texture. It comes from the Arabic taktak, meaning to grind or pound, and the vegetables end up soft and broken down rather than crisp. That is why the source opens by pre-empting the obvious question, why a salad needs a recipe, and it is a fair point: taktouka requires cooking, and cooking is most of it. It has regional names worth knowing. In eastern Morocco it is called flifla; in Algeria, felfla mechouia. Zaalouk, the aubergine version, is its closest sibling and works the same way. Grating the tomatoes rather than dicing them is the technique the source recommends and it is a good one. Cutting a tomato in half and grating the cut face against a box grater extracts the pulp and leaves the skin behind in your hand, no peeling, no blanching, and a smoother result. This dish is closely related to matbucha, the Moroccan-Jewish version, which is on this site. Matbucha is cooked longer, without onion or cumin, and the two are genuinely distinguished by community and by seasoning rather than being the same recipe under two names.
AFN Heritage Note
Taktouka is a Moroccan cooked salad of roasted peppers and tomatoes seasoned with cumin and paprika, also eaten in Algeria. The name derives from the Arabic taktak, meaning to grind. It is known as flifla in eastern Morocco and felfla mechouia in Algeria.
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
Roast the peppers under a hot grill for about 8 to 10 minutes, turning them halfway so they char evenly. Put them straight into a sealed bag or covered bowl, the trapped steam loosens the skins.
- 2
Mince the onion and garlic. Warm the olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium-low heat and cook them gently.
- 3
Cut the tomatoes in half lengthways and grate the cut faces against a box grater into a bowl. The pulp comes away and the skin stays in your hand, which saves peeling.
- 4
Cook the onion and garlic for 4 to 5 minutes, then mix in the grated tomatoes, cumin, paprika and salt. Cook for 5 minutes, then work in the tomato paste.
- 5
Take the peppers out of the bag and peel away the charred skin and the seeds. Cut them into strips.
- 6
Mix the pepper strips into the sauce and cook for a further 3 to 5 minutes, then take the pan off the heat.
- 7
Garnish with chopped parsley and a drizzle of olive oil, and serve warm or at room temperature with bread.
Africook’s Notes
- Grate the tomatoes rather than dicing them. Halve them and grate the cut face, the pulp comes out and the skin stays behind, which saves blanching and peeling.
- Bag the roasted peppers while hot. The steam loosens the skins and they slip off in seconds.
- Red peppers, not green. Green peppers turn bitter in this dish, which is why the source specifies sweet ones.
- Cook it down properly. Taktouka should be thick and jammy rather than wet.
- It is better the next day, once the flavours have settled, and is served warm or at room temperature rather than hot.
- Bread is essential. This is a dish for scooping.
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