Mehshi Al-Batata
October 16th, 2009
Mehshi Al-Batata is one of my favorite dishes. It consists of small potatoes, stuffed with a mixture of meat, onion, and parsley, then fried in vegetable ghee, then cooked in the oven with tomato paste sauce, and served with rice cooked with vermicelli.
Let’s make Mehshi Al-Batata:
Before the recipe, I want to share with you this info about the picture below, read what is written below the picture.
This utensil is called “Syrian Munara” or “Squash corer”, we use for “kousa mehshi / stuffed marrow”, and we will use it here in this recipe.
Let’s make Mehshi Al-Batata:
1. Wash potato.
2. Peel potato.
3. This utensil is called “Syrian Munara” or “Squash corer”, we use for “kousa mehshi / stuffed marrow”, and we will use it here in this recipe.
4, 5, 6, 7. Hollow the potato from one end with the squash corer leaving about 1/4 inch thick shell all around , and be careful to leave one end of potato intact, if you don’t have squash corer try to use apple corer.
8. This is the final result.
9. Soak potatoes in water and salt and set aside.
Filling
10. Finely chop onion and set aside.
11. Finely chop parsley leaves and set aside.
12. Melt ghee and bring it to high heat, then add meat to it.
13. Once the meat is cooked, add chopped onion.
14. Add parsley to meat, add salt and pepper and stir for few seconds then turn off heat, (Note the meat should be completely cooked before adding parsley, when you cook meat, there’s water comes from the meat, but this water during cooking evaporates, so once this happen and the meat is completely cooked and no water remains you can add parsley).
15. The filling (meat mixture) is ready.
16. Drain potatoes.
17. Stuff potatoes with the meat fully to the brim.
18. The stuffed potatoes are ready.
Frying
19. Heat vegetable ghee in deep frying pan.
20. Deep fry stuffed potatoes, until golden in color.
21. Put the fried potatoes in an oven dish, with slices of onion.
Sauce
22. Prepare the sauce, dissolve tomato paste in water.
23. Pour the sauce over potatoes, and put it in the oven for about an hour.
Rice with Vermicelli
24. Rinse rice with water in several changes.
25. Boil water, and soak rice in boiled water for 10 minutes, and set aside.
26. Melt ghee and bring it to high heat.
27. Prepare vermicelli.
28. Add vermicelli to ghee, and stir until golden brown in color, then turn off heat and let it cool for minutes.
29. Turn on heat, then add 5 5/8 cups water and salt to the vermicelli, and let it boil.
30. Meanwhile, drain rice, then rinse it with cold water in several changes.
31. This is the water which had been added to the vermicelli, it is boiling. 32. Once the water is boiling vigorously, add rice.
33. Check samda (know more about samda in Maqloubat Al-Bathenjan), and keep the rice for 5 minutes over high heat so it will boil vigorously, then lower heat and cover pot and keep for 15 – 20 minutes till rice is cooked, when it is completely cooked, turn off heat, stir and serve.
Serve stuffed potatoes with rice, and sliced red radish.
Mehshi Al-Batata
From: Family Recipe / Servings: 5 – 7 People
PDF Text Only / Print With Images
15 small potatoes
Filling 1 medium red onion, finely chopped 1/2 cup finely chopped flat parsley leaves 1 tbsp ghee 250 g fat free ground lamb meat Salt Pepper Frying 250 g vegetable ghee Assemble 1 medium red onion, sliced Sauce 10 tbsp tomato paste 1000 ml water Salt Black pepper Rice with Vermicelli 3 3/4 cups Egyptian short grain rice Boiling water, for soaking rice 2 tbsp ghee 3/4 cup vermicelli 5 5/8 cups water Salt To Serve Red radish, sliced |
Wash potato.
Peel potato. This utensil is called “Syrian Munara” or “Squash corer”, we use for “kousa mehshi / stuffed marrow”, and we will use it here in this recipe. Hollow the potato from one end with the squash corer leaving about 1/4 inch thick shell all around , and be careful to leave one end of potato intact, if you don’t have squash corer try to use apple corer. This is the final result. Soak hollowed potatoes in water and salt and set aside. Filling Finely chop onion and set aside. Finely chop parsley leaves and set aside. Melt ghee and bring it to high heat, then add meat to it. Once the meat is cooked, add chopped onion. Add parsley to meat, add salt and pepper and stir for few seconds then turn off heat, (Note the meat should be completely cooked before adding parsley, when you cook meat, there’s water comes from the meat, but this water during cooking evaporates, so once this happen and the meat is completely cooked and no water remains you can add parsley). The filling (meat mixture) is ready. Drain potatoes. Stuff potatoes with the meat fully to the brim. The stuffed potatoes are ready. Frying Heat vegetable ghee in deep frying pan. Deep fry stuffed potatoes, until golden in color. Put the fried potatoes in an oven dish, with slices of onion. Sauce Prepare the sauce, dissolve tomato paste in water. Pour the sauce over potatoes, add salt and pepper, and put the dish in the oven for about an hour. Rice with Vermicelli Rinse rice with water in several changes. Boil water, then soak the rice in this water for 10 minutes, and set aside. Melt ghee and bring it to high heat. Prepare vermicelli. Add vermicelli to ghee, and stir until golden brown in color, then turn off heat and let it cool for minutes. Turn on heat, then add 5 5/8 cups water and salt to the vermicelli, and let it boil. Meanwhile, drain rice, then rinse it with cold water in several changes. This is the water which had been added to the vermicelli, it is boiling. Once the water is boiling vigorously, add rice. Check samda (know more about samda in Maqloubat Al-Bathenjan), and keep the rice for 5 minutes over high heat so it will boil vigorously, then lower heat and cover pot and keep for 15 – 20 minutes till rice is cooked, when it is completely cooked, turn off heat, stir and serve. Serve stuffed potatoes with rice, and sliced red radish. |
Hi Dimah,
You make me discover this dish today, I didn’t know it. My mother make Mehshi Al-Batata in a pressure cooker, not in the oven, the potatoes are not fried and are stuffed with rice and meat. Anyway, it looks really good (especially as I love fried vegetables)! I will try to do it إن شاء الله
Alepine: Thanks for coming by!
This is my grandmother’s recipe :), my mother learned from her and I learn from my mom!
L love this dish , I `make it with out the parslly & it always turn out yuumy ..
Dima what happend with the Arabic blog ?
Je découvre ton blog.
Je suis passionnée de cuisine orientale.
Je reviendrai te voir souvent.
Salutations de Paris et à très bientôt.
Mona: Thanks! try it with parsley, so delicious :)
I closed the Arabic blog. I discovered that all the recipes and photos were stolen and published everywhere, and I don’t have time to work on two blogs.
Nadjibella: Merci, I don’t know french, but Google translate helps.
Thanks for your kind words :)
That’s an interesting dish! I’d love that, I’m sure!
Cheers,
Rosa
This dish looks delicious. I love the idea of stuffing potatoes with such tasty flavors.
OOOOh Dima , tell me about it !!
I wish you the best swetty:)
Rosa: Thank you for your nice comment!
lisa: Many thanks for stopping by!
Mona: Thanks! it’s always a pleasure to hear from you :)
Looks absolutely delicious ..
Laila .. http://lailablogs.com/
I’ve never tried a stuffed potato, but yours look delicious!
Laila: Thanks for visiting!
lisa: Thanks for stopping by!
This dish looks scrumptious! I think frying the potatoes really brings out the flavors.
Tastofbeirut: Thanks for stopping by!