Mehalta – The “Mama of All Tunisian Dishes”

Mehalta is one of a kind Tunisian dish. To me it is the “Mama of all Tunisian dishes” and not only because it calls for the largest pot in the house. Take a look at the ingredient list- it is pretty much the closest thing to nature you’ll ever put in a pot. Maybe it’s the “Mother Nature” of all Tunisian dishes… 🙂

These roots, earthy true treasures of food are created into a satisfying, heart-warming combination of flavors that just scream HOME! And isn’t this what mamas are all about? Maybe you haven’t had the chance to cook with some of these root vegetables, but I guarantee that this dish has to offer AMAZING depth of flavors that you haven’t had a chance to experience before. Something magical happens when all these vegetable are combined in one pot…

You will need

3 tbsp. Olive Oil

1 Medium Onion

1 medium Turnip

½ large Rutabaga

1 large Kohlrabi

2 medium Potatoes

3 small Purple Potatoes

2 medium Carrots

Cauliflower florets (a cup and a half or so…)

Fresh Fava Beans (a cup and a half of the actual beans)

2 cups (packed) Fresh Spinach

1 cup Parsley

1 cup Cilantro

4 medium cloves Garlic

Ginger Root (about 1½ inch)

1 tbsp. Harissa

1 tsp. Sweet Paprika

1 tsp. Cumin

1 tsp. Black Pepper

2 tsp. Salt

5 – 5½ cold Water

Let’s get to work

First, let’s prep our veggies and greens:

Fava beans you’re up first!

This was one of my jobs at my Savta’s (grandmother) kitchen as a young child, and I LOVED it! A big pile of fava beans and two bowls, one for the beans and the other for the waste. These days I pass this annual task down to my children; Seeing them engaged in kitchen work makes me so happy… If you have any partners that would like to join in at this fun stage, bring them over.

To remove the beans out of the pods simply just break the pod in half, make sure to also remove the little connecting piece that attach the bean to the pod. For this dish you need a little more than a cup of peeled beans.

Next are the root vegetables:

Peel all root vegetables and wash them well. The Turnip, Rutabaga, Kohlrabi, Potatoes and Carrots are all need to be cut into relatively big pieces that can hold together in long cooking.

Cut them into about 2’’ inch cubes and set aside.
The Greens – My favorite…

Wash the Parsley, cilantro and spinach well and remove the stems. The parsley and cilantro leaves chop finely, after the long cooking they just melt into the dish and become part of the sauce.

The spinach leaves give some texture, so just cut them roughly (if you are using baby spinach and the leaves are very small, you don’t really even need to cut them.

Greens are ready – time to start cooking!

Chop the onion finely. In a large pot with the olive oil sauté the chopped onions on medium heat until you can smell their amazing aroma and they become clear.

Add all cubes of root vegetables. Add Harissa mix and cook for couple of minutes.

Add the chopped parsley and cilantro; mix and continue cooking on medium heat for a few more minutes.

Add the dry spices: sweet paprika, cumin, black pepper and just one teaspoon of salt. Mix everything well.

Using a fine grater, grate in the garlic cloves and the ginger. Mix in and allow cooking for just a minute. [a side note: even when I’m using just a piece I actually peel the whole ginger root and wrap any root leftovers (already peeled) in plastic wrap and store it in the freezer for future use]

Time to add the cauliflower florets and spinach leaves.

Last but not least, the cute little fava beans…jump in there! 🙂

Raise the heat to high and add cold water to reach just below the vegetables level… I used 5 cups of cold water. The water should NOT cover the vegetables on the top.

Let’s bring this pot of goodness to a boil, so cover the pot – it will happen quicker. Allow boiling for 3 minutes then reduce the heat to the lowest flame and add the second teaspoon of salt. Continue cooking on the lowest heat for couple of hours, the cover should be cracked just a tiny bit to allow some steam to escape while cooking. The Mehalta is ready when the root vegetables have softened, its color is deep and the aroma spread all over the house.

The Mehalta is ready… Enjoy!

We usually serve Mehalta over white rice (during Passover) or couscous on other occasions. I also love it on its own with a HUGE piece of fluffy Challah.

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Quick Recipe:

Mehalta –

Prep vegetables and greens:

Remove Fava Beans out of pods.

Cut Turnip, Rutabaga, Kohlrabi, Potatoes, Purple Potatoes and Carrots into large 2’’ inch cubes.

Chop finely Parsley and Cilantro leaves.

Cut Spinach leaves into medium pieces.

Sauté chopped Onion in Olive Oil until clear and fragrant.

Add Root Vegetables and Harissa mix and cook for a few minutes on medium heat.

Add the chopped parsley and cilantro and mix well.

Add Sweet Paprika, Cumin, Black Pepper and 1 tsp. Salt.

Grate in Garlic and Ginger, mix in and continue cooking for another minute.

Add Spinach leaves, Cauliflower Florets and Fava Beans.

Add cold water and bring to a boil.

Boil for 3 minutes and reduce heat to lowest heat.

Add one more teaspoon of Salt and mix well.

Cook for 2 hours with cover cracked to allow some steam escape.

Serve over white rice or couscous.