Mermez
Mermez : Tunisian stew.
Ingredients
- 600 g diced stewing beef
- 400 g cooked chickpeas, drained
- 300 g finely sliced onion
- 400 g ripe tomatoes, diced
- 200 g deseeded peppers, chopped
- 40 g olive oil
- 30 g tomato paste
- 15 g harissa
- 3 g ground cumin
- 4 g salt
- 600 ml water
Preparation
Wash, drain and prepare diced stewing beef, finely sliced onion, deseeded peppers, chopped. Cut evenly for consistent cooking.
Brown diced stewing beef, olive oil in a hot casserole for 8 minutes, in batches if needed so the meat does not boil.
Heat the allotted oil and sauté finely sliced onion over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring without burning.
Add ripe tomatoes, diced, tomato paste, harissa, ground cumin, salt and mix carefully to distribute the ingredients and seasoning.
Pour in the stated amount of water, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 70 minutes. Add a little hot water only if needed.
Add cooked chickpeas, drained, deseeded peppers, chopped and mix carefully to distribute the ingredients and seasoning.
Continue simmering gently for about 20 minutes. Taste the sauce and check tenderness before removing from the heat.
Serve hot once the texture is right, distributing the components evenly among the stated portions.