If you’re looking for an easy weeknight dinner with a combination of spicy and rich flavors, Mar9et batata is a Tunisian recipe that you want to save in your recipe collection.
Mar9et batata is a traditional everyday food in Tunisia. The dish name mar9et batata or market batata means potato sauce. It is a spicy tomato-based sauce that includes onions, beef meat, potatoes, chickpeas, and harissa. This meal is eaten with fresh bread or baguette, so forget a fork and knife for a moment and dip the bread in this full-flavored sauce.
There are a couple of versions available of this dish. Others like to make it thicker and others prefer more liquid. Some people like to use lamb meat instead of beef to make it a little heavier. One option is to use chicken when it gets lighter. There is also a more yellowish version available where turmeric is used instead of red spices. I am going to share the recipe which is a quite popular one and also simple to make. If you don’t like too spicy food, you can adjust the amount of harissa and maybe substitute hot paprika powder with smoked paprika or sweet paprika powder.
My story behind the dish
When my husband told me that one of his favorite Tunisian dishes is potato sauce (to be precise potato sauce made by his mother). I didn’t have any clue what kind of dish it could be. When I ate this dish first time in Tunisia, I understood why my husband likes it so much. Mar9et batata is not bland-looking potato sauce and you can’t wait to dip the bread in this delicious-looking sauce. The dish is full of flavor, spicy and meaty which is well balanced with pieces of potato. I must say that the name is a bit misleading as this dish is anything but boring!
Recipe mar9et batata- tunisian potato sauce
Servings: 2-4 main course
Total preparation time: 1:30- 2 hours
Ingredients:
3 tbsp of vegetable oil or olive oil
1 onion, chopped
400g Beef meat, cut into big pieces
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of black pepper
1 tbsp of tomato paste
1 tbsp of harissa
1 tbsp of hot paprika powder
4 dl water
1-3 big size potatoes, wedges
100g cooked chickpeas
2 green peppers (Anaheim pepper, chili pepper)
Chopped parsley and red onion for garnish
Method
*Heat a pot in medium heat and add vegetable oil and heat.
*Once oil is heated, add chopped onion, stir and cook for one 1 minute.
*When onions are slightly softened, add beef, salt, and black pepper. Stir and cook until the beef pieces are lightly brown. Then mix in tomato paste, harissa, and paprika powder and cook for 2 minutes.
*Add water and cook at medium-low heat for 45minutes. (The mixture should be quite liquid at this point as we are going to boil it for some times, so don’t be afraid to add more water if it looks dry)
*Add potato wedges, chickpeas, and green peppers. Cook until the potatoes are done and beef meat is tender. About 30-45 minutes.
*Serve into a plate or bowl and garnish with chopped parsley and red onion.
