Mahshi Bassal bel Tamarhendi
This elegant dish with an exquisite sweet-and-sour caramelized flavor is a specialty of Aleppo in Syria. The onion layers are used to make little rolls around a filling. In Egypt we soaked the tamarind pods and used the filtered juice. Now I find that the Indian tamarind paste obtainable from Middle Eastern stores is perfectly good to use.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4-6
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Peel the onions and cut off the ends. With a sharp knife, make a cut on one side of each, from top to bottom, through to the center—and no farther. Throw into a big pan of boiling water and boil for 10–15 minutes, until they soften and begin to open so that each layer can be detached. Drain, and when cool enough to handle, separate each layer carefully by easing your fingers inside each. If they don’t detach easily you may have to throw the onions back into boiling water after one or two have been removed.
Step 2
For the filling, knead the ground meat with the salt, pepper, cinnamon, allspice, and parsley. Put a walnut-sized lump into each curved onion layer and roll up tightly. Line the bottom of a wide, shallow pan with discarded bits of onion (this is to protect the rolls). Pack the stuffed onion rolls tightly on top.
Step 3
Melt the tamarind paste and 1 tablespoon of sugar in about 3/4 cup boiling water and pour over the onions, adding more water to cover if necessary. Place a plate on top to hold the onions and simmer, covered, on very low heat, adding more water as required, for about 45–60 minutes, until they are very soft and the water is absorbed.
Step 4
Now arrange the rolls in one layer on a flat, heatproof serving dish, sprinkle the top with the remaining sugar, and caramelize under the grill. It gives them a warm, wrinkly look. They are best served hot but are also very good cold.
Variations
Step 5
For Saudi Arabian onion rolls, stuff the onion layers with the following meat-and-rice filling: Fry 1/2 pound ground meat in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, crushing and turning it over, until it changes color. Add 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice and 1/2 cup American rice, and barely cover with water. Simmer for 18 minutes, or until the rice is done.
Step 6
Instead of the tamarind sauce, pour over the rolls a mixture of water—just enough to cover—with 2 tablespoons oil and 1–2 tablespoons vinegar. Finish them in the oven to dry them out a little and give them a nice wrinkly look.
