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Mermez
Lamb and chickpeas in harissa sauce
مرمز (mermez): Tunisian lamb and chickpeas in a red harissa and tomato sauce
Mermez is a Tunis home dish closely tied to Ramadan, when a pot simmers through the afternoon to break the fast at sunset, often after a bowl of chorba. Lamb on the bone is stewed with chickpeas in a bright red sauce of tomato paste, harissa, garlic and Tunisian tabil spice (coriander and caraway), and the broth is mopped up with crusty khobz tabouna. The usual mistake is adding the harissa at the start and letting it scorch with the meat; fry it briefly with the tomato paste over a gentler heat instead. Slow-cooker option: after step 4, cook on low for 7 hours. Chef's tip: mermez tastes even better the day after, when the chickpeas have drunk in the spiced sauce.
- Total time
- 100 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ lb lamb neck or shoulder on the bonein large pieces
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 oniongrated
- 4 cloves garliccrushed
- 3 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 ½ tbsp harissa
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground caraway
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 ¾ cups hot water
- 9 oz chickpeassoaked overnight, or 2 × 400 g tins, drained
- 2 long green chilliesleft whole
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat 4 tbsp olive oil in a heavy pot over a medium-high heat and brown the 1 ¾ lb lamb neck or shoulder on the bone for 8 minutes until golden on all sides.
8 minStep 3: Lower the heat to medium. Stir in 3 tbsp tomato purée, 1 ½ tbsp harissa, 1 tsp sweet paprika, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground caraway and 1 tsp salt and fry for 2 minutes until the oil turns red.
2 minStep 4: Add 3 ¾ cups hot water and the soaked 9 oz chickpeas (if using tins, add them in step 5). Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
60 minStep 5: Add 2 long green chillies (and tinned chickpeas, if using) and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the lamb is tender and the sauce thick enough to coat the meat.
15 minStep 6: Taste for salt and heat. Serve hot with bread.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 590 kcal
- Protein
- 42 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 32 g
- Fibre
- 9 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mermez take?
- About 100 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 85 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.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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