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Dolma batata
Algiers-style potatoes stuffed with spiced beef in white chickpea sauce
Dolma batata belongs to the Algiers home kitchen, where it is a Ramadan favourite and a Friday dish: hollowed potatoes filled with beef mince, onion, parsley and cinnamon, fried until golden, then simmered in a pale sauce (marqa beida) of onion, chickpeas, black pepper and cinnamon. The sauce stays white because no tomato goes in. The mistake is hollowing the potatoes too thinly, so they split in the pot; leave walls about 1 cm thick. Chef's tip: fry the scooped-out potato flesh and add it to the sauce to thicken it.
- Total time
- 95 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the stuffing
Potatoes and sauce
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 14 oz beef mince, 1 small onion, 3 tbsp chopped parsley, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, ½ tsp black pepper, ¾ tsp salt, 1 egg and 2 tbsp short-grain rice well with your hands.
Step 2: Trim the ends of 8 medium potatoes so they stand up, then hollow them with an apple corer or small spoon, leaving walls 1 cm thick. Keep the scooped-out flesh.
Step 3: Fill the potatoes with the stuffing, pressing it in, and roll any leftover stuffing into small meatballs.
Step 4: Heat ½ cup vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry the potatoes for 8–10 minutes, turning, until golden all over. Fry the meatballs and the scooped-out potato for 3–4 minutes.
14 minStep 5: In a wide pot melt ⅔ oz butter or olive oil, add 1 onion, 1 cinnamon stick, ½ tsp black pepper and 1 tsp salt and cook gently for 5 minutes without browning. Add 7 oz cooked chickpeas and 2 ½ cups water and bring to the boil.
8 minStep 6: Stand the potatoes in the sauce, add the meatballs and potato pieces, cover and simmer for 35–40 minutes, until a knife slides easily into the potatoes and the filling reaches 160°F.
40 minStep 7: Uncover for the last 5 minutes if the sauce is thin. Serve hot with bread. Keeps 2 days in the fridge.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 540 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does dolma batata take?
- About 95 minutes in total: 35 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of small onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of chopped parsley?
- Fresh coriander or chives, same amount.
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