A Matbucha Recipe From a Secretive Moroccan Aunt

Photos by Penny De Los Santos

Shared by Nir Sarig
Recipe Roots: Sefrou, Morocco > Haifa > New York City 

“I have to start by saying that the argument over what is the right way to make a matbucha,” is like debating how to make shakshuka correctly, says chef Nir Sarig. Everyone has an opinion and thinks their version is best. The Israeli-born chef, who now owns Eti, a pop-up project in New York, has long had a passion for the North African tomato-based dip. 

“Growing up, my family used to drive to Haifa every Saturday to my Moroccan aunt Mazal's place for lunch,” he explains. One of 9 siblings, Mazal’s home was always filled with family members and tables dotted with Moroccan salads made from beets, carrots, eggplants, and tomatoes. She would cook for days leading up to the meal and “the star of the show was always her matbucha,” Nir adds, which she makes in a special pot that’s reserved for preparing the dip. He would devour it with challah and be full by the time the main course was served. 

As an adult working as the executive chef of Mashya restaurant in Tel Aviv, Nir and his team prepared a thick, jammy version of the dish nightly, going through hundreds of pounds of tomatoes a week. The recipe they prepared belonged to chef and owner Yossi Shitrit’s mother, says Nir, and “[it] was quite different from what I remembered.” Intrigued, Nir started to ask his cooks at the restaurant about the versions their mothers, aunts, and grandmother’s made, researching the dish and the many ways to prepare it. 

“Every small change in process will affect the result,” Nir says. “The way to know if what you choose is right is how quickly you finish the plate (if it makes it out of the pot in the first place).” He still has a fondness for his aunt’s rendition, which he shared with us and will make at our upcoming “Blanket Banquet” picnic.

“The recipe...is my aunt Mazal's, or at least I hope it is,” says Nir. Sometimes she won’t give out her precise recipes, he adds, so that “you... keep coming back for more.”

Mazal's Matbucha

Makes: 3.5 cups
Total time: 3 ½ hours

Ingredients
3 pounds very ripe plum tomatoes
1 ½ red bell peppers
4 garlic cloves
¼ - ½ cup neutral oil (canola or sunflower)
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
½ teaspoon hot paprika (optional)
3 teaspoons salt, divided

Optional garnish:
3 jalapenos 
1 garlic clove, grated
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Using a paring knife, carefully score a shallow X shape on the bottom of each tomato. Prepare a large bowl of ice water.

2. Once the water is boiling, work in batches to poach the tomatoes for 60-90 seconds, or until the skin splits up the sides. Transfer to the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Repeat with the remaining tomatoes.

3. When cooled, use your hands or a paring knife to peel the tomatoes  and discard the skins and core. Slice the tomatoes in half and squeeze the juice and seeds into a bowl and discard. Roughly chop the tomatoes and set aside.

4. Roast the bell peppers over a flame until they are entirely charred. Transfer them to a bowl, and cover tightly with plastic wrap for 10-15 minutes.

5. Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, use your hands or a paring knife to peel off the charred skin and remove the seeds. Dice the peppers.

6. Add the tomatoes, peppers, garlic cloves, and oil to a large pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

7. After the mixture softens into a sauce-like consistency, add the paprika(s) and 1 ½ teaspoon of kosher salt. Continue to slowly simmer the matbucha until it reduces to about half the volume, and it becomes a jammy texture, about 1 hour and 15 to 1 hour and 30 minutes.

8. Cool slightly, then taste and adjust salt if needed. Serve with fresh challah.

Optional garnish: Roast the jalapenos on an open flame and peel the skins off, in the same way as the bell peppers. Then seed and slice into ⅛ -inch slices and submerge in olive oil with grated garlic and salt. This is a perfect add on to the matbucha if you want to have a spicy option on the table