Tomato and Eggplant Matbukha

1 serving

120 minutes

Matbukha is a Maghreb appetizer made from baked vegetables that was brought to Israel by Jews from Morocco. In the world, matbukha is less known than, for example, falafel or hummus, for one reason only: matbukha is usually not eaten just like that, but is used as a base for shakshuka, a much more popular Israeli fried egg, carefully breaking a couple of eggs into the thickness of the vegetables and sending everything together to the oven. But Ilya Cherkashin, the chef of the Levantine restaurant, believes that matbukha is good even without eggs: you can simply spread this spicy vegetable caviar on a piece of good village bread.

Energy value per serving

• Calories: 295.3
• Proteins: 8.1g
• Fats: 10.8g
• Carbohydrates: 41.8g

Ingredients

• Eggplants: 1 pc
• Sweet pepper: 1 pc
• Chili pepper: 10 g
• Red onion: 1 pc
• Tomatoes: 3 pc
• Vegetable oil: 10 ml
• Salt: 1 g
• Ground black pepper: 1 g

Cooking steps

1. Cut the eggplant into cubes of 2.5 by 2.5 cm. Soak in cold salted water for 90 minutes.

   Required ingredients:

   • Eggplants: 1 piece
   • Salt: 1 g

2. Remove the eggplant pieces with a slotted spoon, dry them with a paper towel, and fry until golden in a deep skillet with hot oil. Transfer to a paper towel to remove excess oil.

   Required ingredients:

   • Vegetable oil: 10 ml

3. Chop red onion, pepper, and tomatoes coarsely. Finely chop the chili pepper. Sauté everything in vegetable oil until soft and lightly golden. Pour in enough water to cover the vegetables, add salt, and simmer for 30 minutes.

   Required ingredients:

   • Red onion: 1 piece
   • Sweet pepper: 1 piece
   • Tomatoes: 3 pieces
   • Chili pepper: 10 g
   • Vegetable oil: 10 ml
   • Salt: 1 g

4. Add eggplants, simmer for another 10 minutes, add salt and ground pepper.

   Required ingredients:

   • Eggplants: 1 piece
   • Salt: 1 g
   • Ground black pepper: 1 g

5. Serve the matbukh hot or cold.