Feeds 4
Prep: approx 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Mahshee literally translates to 'Stuffed' from Arabic and is one dish any Syrian will be familiar with and have their own recipe passed down from generations. Principally, they're all similar; this is our interpretation combining variations cooked by our mums, aunties and grandmas.
This dish can be altered to include any vegetable, our mums have been known to stuff potatoes, peppers, marrows - and it can all be done with the same steps below. Most typically this dish uses aubergines and courgettes which we've used below. The quantities listed for the filling will depend on how big or small your vegetables are, of course, but any leftover filling can be used to cook a delicious rice dish.
The Aubergines. You definitely don't want the large ones you find in most supermarkets- try and find smaller aubergines, they tend to have less seeds so are less bitter and are more suitable for individual portion; they can be found in Asian supermarkets.
We couldn't find any this time, and opted to use dried ones that we then rehydrated. We were dubious at first (fresh is always best of course) but they actually worked a treat and tasted almost as good as the fresh variety! You can get them here.
Ingredients:
- 15 small fresh or dried aubergines (see note above)
- 4 small courgettes
- 1 sliced onion
- 2 peppers - the long green 'Anaheim' variety are best as they're less sweet than bell peppers. Be sure to get an extra one to taste for spiciness, you don't want to commit.
The Filling:
- 400g of beef and lamb mince (we used 200g of each)
- 1 cup of rice
- 1/2 white onion finely diced
- 1 tsp finely chopped dill
- 1/3 cup finely chopped mint
- 1/3 cup finely chopped coriander
- 3/4 cup parsley
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp baharat (also called '7 spice blend' - you can find this in most supermarkets)
- 1 tsp Harissa
- 1 plum tomato from a tin (don't worry, you'll use the rest later for the sauce)
- 2 cloves of grated garlic
For the sauce:
- 3 tins of plum tomatoes
- 3 tins of water
- 1 1/2 tsp salt (adjust according to taste)
- 2 tbsp dried mint
- 1 tsp red pepper paste
- 30g tomato purée
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper (adjust according to taste)
- 3 roughly chopped garlic cloves
Method:
1. If using the dried aubergine, rehydrate them by soaking in boiling water for 3 mins and then rinsing with cold water.
2. Next, core the vegetables using a vegetable corer so that you get as close to the skin as possible without ripping it. (The aubergines we re-hydrated were already cored). Don't worry if you get a small tear here or there, that just means you get a sloppier vegetable filled with all the delicious sauce (they're secretly the best ones)
3. Make the filling by mixing together all the filling ingredients listed in a bowl until well combined. We always fry up a tsp of the mix in a dry frying pan to taste and test the seasoning. (Or if you're grandma, you'd just know)
4. Fill your vegetables will the filling leaving a small gap at the top. Use the end of a spoon or a chopstick if you need to get the filling as far down the vegetable as possible so it's properly filled.
5. Make your sauce by blending all the sauce ingredients listed above apart from 2 chopped garlic cloves and half of the dried mint (put them aside for later).
6. Layer a large deep pan with sliced onions so that the bottom is covered. This is so that the vegetables don't stick to the bottom of the pan or burn and the onions will also impart a nice flavour. Traditionally, lamb bones are used but we didn't have any so onions are a good alternative.
7. Layer the filled aubergines onto the onions, followed by the courgettes and the peppers so they're nice and compact.
8. Pour the sauce over the mahshee until all the veg is fully covered. (If you need to add a little water here to fully submerge the veg that's fine)
9. Put a heavy plate (or stone) on top to press the mahshee down and keep them from floating round. We used a pie dish as it fit nicely and that worked fine.
10. Put the pan on a medium to high heat with the lid on until it starts to gently boil. Then lower to a low to medium heat and let it simmer for approximately 1 hour.
11. Add the remaining chopped garlic and dried mint (that you put aside earlier) to the sauce and take off the heat. It's ready to serve.
12. Serve in a large platter, Syrian style with the sauce in separate bowls. Dip or pour, use your hands, a spoon or even wrap each mahshee in bread if you like - no judgements here! DELICIOUS.
We'd love to see your creations if you try this recipe so please do share and tag @TheFoodInstatution
R & J x

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