Mulukheya The Traditional Tunisian Black Sauce

Above all, do not be fooled by the unappealing mulukheya. All the same, it is a dish that does not taste because of the smell and the black sauce. In short, take a bit and you will be convinced.

So this is the classique recipe of the Tunisian mulukheya ! It is found throughout Africa and the Middle East but it is really Tunisia that gave it its nobility.

Preparing the Mulukheya powder

First of all boil 2l of water in a saucepan.

Pass mulukheya to a fine strainer in nonstick pot then mix it cold with the oil.

As soon as it becomes pasty, put it on low heat without ceasing to stir with a wooden spatula.

When a little oil comes out of the mixture, add the boiling water by ladle, taking care to mix it well between each addition, at the risk of having lumps (otherwise, switch to the mixer).

Once the dough has the consistency of a homogeneous custard, cover and cook over low heat. Stirring often the first 30 min. The preparation can go up (like pasta water), so you have to monitor and mix regularly.

Cook all evening, about 2 to 3 hours.

Preparing the Mulukheya powder steps

Cooking the meat

cut it into pieces (without the fat), clean it in a bowl with cold water and a little white vinegar. Rinse under tap water and wipe with paper towel. To be sure of having a very tender meat, even with first price meat, I have a little trick: put the pieces of meat in a salad bowl, sprinkle on top of 1 nice baking soda, massage the meat to distribute the meat. powder, then let stand for just 10 minutes. Rinse and wipe again.

In a box tupperware (or gratin dish), put the tomato peeled seeded and cut into small dice. Add the tabil, peeled garlic cloves, degermed and crushed. Put the meat on it and mix well. Cover and put in the fridge for the night.

Cooking the meat in a low heat

The next day steps

Take the meat out of the fridge and cook again over medium heat until you hear a stir. Then add the bay leaves, the harissa, the mint crumbled. Cook 1 hour.

Then add meat to mulukheya, with its marinade. Leave it to cook for 2 hours and add Salt and black pepper powder as needed.

As soon as the meat is cooked, let it uncovered until the oil floats. The meat can be removed so that it does not become “pureed” until the oil is extracted.

Eliminate the bay leaves, correct the salt if necessary.

Serve hot with good white Italian bread.