Tag: Tabil

Tebelkarouia – A Tunisian spice mix

I love buying spice blends from various speciality stores. I find myself lost amidst those intoxicating scents of spices on the shelves. But most often the store brought spice blends do not stay fragrant for a long time unlike the home made ones. So I always look for ways to make them at home.

Tebelkarouia was introduced to me by my Tunisian German friend Ines and I instantly fell in love with it. Tebelkarouia, popularly known as Tabil is a Tunisian spice mix, a potent, versatile blend made of coriander and caraway seeds, chilli flakes and garlic powder. It’s a real easy one to blend and store, and a real game changer too. Once you start using this, you will get hooked on to Tabil. You can throw it on grilled meats, marinades, roast vegetables, stews and many more.

With this blend in your pantry, you can do wonders with your cooking.

So let the magic begin.

This recipe makes 1/3rd cup of Tabil spice mix, in less than 10 mins.

Ingredients:

  • ⅓ cup coriander seeds
  • 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
  • 1 tablespoon red chilly flakes
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder

Method:

  • Toast the coriander seeds, caraway seeds and red chilly flakes on a dry skillet until fragrant. (around 2 minutes, on low heat)
  • Set aside to cool slightly in a container.
  • While the spices are still warm, add the garlic powder and mix well.
  • Let the mixture cool to room temperature and then grind to a fine powder.
  • And, there you have, The fragrant Tabil spice mix!
  • Store Tabil in a dry airtight container, in a cool dark place. It stays fresh for a really long time.
  • Use it as a rub on meat, fish or vegetables, or in sauteed seafood or kebabs. It tastes good on salads too!
Tebelkarouia, also known as Tabil

Tunisian Ojja

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Ojja to me was love at first bite. It was at a get together at my gorgeous Tunisian German friend Ines and her Egyptian hubby Sherif’s home in Cairo that I fell in love with Ojja. Bursting with tangy flavours of tomatoes, a mild heat from Harissa and a perfectly balanced spice mix Tabelkouria, all blending in together with eggs in oil. That’s how I would describe Ojja. And during one of our cooking mornings, Ines taught us friends to cook this in no time. Eversince then, this has been a regular at home, equally loved by all. A truly verstaile dish, can be whipped up with no extra efforts and served as a dip with Pita bread, over crackers, in sandwiches and pairs well with chapathi too. A definite show stopper in your party menu !

Ojja paired with crackers
Ojja served with cripsy pita

This recipe calls for two flavours from North Africa, Harissa and TebelKarouia , popularly known as Tabil. Living in Egypt, Harissa was locally available in the stores but as we moved out of Egypt, the bottled ones weren’t as authentic as the North African ones. Very sweetly, Ines brought me some while we met a few years later but I had to learn to make it myself. So I looked up for recipes, mixed and matched a few to something that’s come quite close to the authentic Harissa. Now this recipe helps me make Ojja and also lends its magic to many other dishes. Tabil is a Tunisian spice blend with bursting flavours of corriander seeds, garlic, caraway seeds and chillies. With time, I discovered my own way of making Tabil at home, so now making Ojja is a breeze. Am sure, you will also fall in love with Ojja when you try it out!

Let’s dive into the recipe.

To make Ojja you will need:

  • 1 whole garlic peeled, crushed or pressed
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 7 tbsp concentrated tomato paste
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon Harissa paste
  • 1 tablespoon Tebelkarouia/Tabil spice mix
  • Salt & pepper to taste
Ojja in cripy shells

Method:

  • Add everything except eggs in a saucepan with oil, over medium heat.
  • Let it simmer for a while, till the tomato paste gets into an even consistency.
  • Add 1 cup water, remove excess oil that floats on top.
  • Let it cook on medium heat for a while, covered with a mesh lid, till it reaches a creamy consistency, removing the oil that floats on the top.
  • Add half cup water and let it simmer further until an even creamy mixture is achieved.
  • Break in an egg at a time into the tomato mixture (do not mix).
  • Increase the heat/fire to high power and let it cook for a minute or two.
  • Lightly break the eggs, but do not scramble it. Let the whole mixture cook for few minutes (around 5 minutes). This helps give those little bites of cooked eggs in Ojja.
  • Let it cool and your delicious Ojja is ready to be served along with pita or crackers.
  • Enjoy your Ojja, paired with anything that you like !!
The versatile Ojja, You ll love it !