Sheikh el mahshi recipe consists of small eggplants roasted or fried and then stuffed with spiced cooked meat and onions mixture, baked in a delicious tomato sauce. This dish is served on a bed of white rice.
I grew up eating this dish during summer, the season for bitinjan battiri. Bitinjan Arabic for eggplant, is a special type of eggplant that comes from a village near Bethlehem called Battir, the name battiri refers to the village’s name.
Their pale purple-looking eggplants are known to be the best in the area. This dish is one of my favorites and is a great addition to any dinner party.
“Battir is not only famous for its eggplants. In 2014, the village was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for its stoned agricultural terraces and their 2,000-year-old irrigation system.”
What is Sheikh El Mahshi?
Sheikh el-mahshi, also known as "Sheikh al-Mahshi," is popular within Middle Eastern cuisine and consists of stuffed eggplants that look more like eggplant boats. The term "sheikh" in Arabic can be roughly translated to "sheik" or "leader," and "mahshi" means "stuffed." Therefore, "Sheikh el Mahshi" essentially means "stuffed sheikh" or "stuffed leader."
Some also believe that sheik el mahshi translates to the king’s dish of all mahshis, perhaps because this dish is stuffed with meat only, versus the other mahshis, which are stuffed with a mixture of meat and rice. Having a meat filling would make this dish more of a delicacy.
The eggplants in this dish are not fully hollowed like in any other mahshi vegetables such as stuffed zucchini (kousa mahshi), but rather only length sliced from the top which makes it less time-consuming to prepare. The traditional way of preparing the eggplants requires deep frying, but I prefer the baking option.
Sheikh el Mahshi is often served as a main course and is enjoyed in various countries across the Middle East, including Lebanon, Syria, and others. It is a delicious and wholesome dish that showcases the rich flavors of the region's cuisine. Vegetarian versions of this dish, where the meat is omitted or substituted with other ingredients like mushrooms, and other vegetables are also popular and widely enjoyed.
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Equipment
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Baking Sheet – To roast eggplants
Pot – For cooking the meat and onions separately
Casserole Dish – For baking sheikh el-mashi
Ingredients
- Eggplants – any medium size eggplants known as Italian eggplants.
- Medium Onion – White onions or sweet onions works best with this dish.
- Meat – minced meat, ground beef, or lamb works well with this recipe. You can also use a mixture of half beef and half lamb.
- Spices (allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and pepper) – Spices give the meat a tasty flavor.
- Meat or vegetable broth – to mix with the tomato sauce
- Tomato Paste or fresh Tomato Sauce
- Sea Salt
- Toasted Pine Nuts – optional
Instructions
Full ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Roasting Eggplants
Step 1 | Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, and lightly grease the baking sheet. With a sharp knife slice the eggplants lengthwise from the top while keeping the stem intact.
Step 2 | Arrange eggplants on a baking sheet brush with olive oil and sprinkle sea salt. Bake for 20-30 minutes and until eggplants are softened. Set aside.
Prepare The Meat Stuffing
Step 1 | In a small saucepan, over medium-high heat, heat neutral or olive oil, add chopped onion, and sauté until caramelized.
Step 2 | Add ground lamb or beef, break meat with the back of a spatula, then add ground cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Sauté until meat is browned and fully cooked.
Stuffing Eggplants
Step 1 | Fill each eggplant with the meat mixture, about 2-3 tablespoons each, and continue until all eggplants are filled.
Step 2 | Arrange eggplants in a rectangular Pyrex or a casserole. Pour tomato sauce at the bottom and over the stuffed eggplants, cover in foil, and bake for 30 minutes.
Substitutions and Variations
- Adding slices of green bell pepper on top pairs well with this dish.
- Fresh tomato juice can be used instead of tomato paste.
- Add minced or sliced tomatoes over eggplants.
- You can omit the tomato sauce completely and use meat broth instead.
Storage and Reheating
- Sheikh el mahshi can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days in the fridge.
- You can reheat sheikh el mahshi in a small pan on the stovetop or in the microwave, add 1-2 tablespoons of water if it's too thick before heating.
Pro Tips
- You can test eggplants for softness with a fork during roasting.
- You can toast pine nuts under a broiler for 2-4 minutes, or in a skillet heat neutral or olive oil and sauté for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
FAQ
Yes, you can substitute the meat with portabello or cremini mushrooms, chop them thinly, and saute them with onions as in step 2 in preparing the stuffing.
You can use the small rounded eggplants, mainly found at any South Asian or Middle Eastern grocery stores.
Yes, zucchini or squash can work with this recipe.
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MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES
Sheikh el Mahshi
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Method: Stove and Oven
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Description
Sheikh el mahshi recipe consists of small eggplants roasted or fried and then stuffed with spiced cooked meat and onions mixture, baked in a delicious tomato sauce. This dish is served on a bed of white rice.
Ingredients
For Roasting Eggplant
- 6-8 Italian eggplants
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
For Stuffing
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or neutral oil.
- 1 medium sweet onion diced.
- ½ pound minced or ground beef or lamb or a mixture of both.
- A pinch of ground cinnamon, nutmeg and pepper.
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup pine nuts
For Casserole
- 1 cup meat broth
- 1-2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- 1-2 diced tomatoes
Instructions
Roasting Eggplants
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, and lightly grease the baking sheet. With a sharp knife slice the eggplants lengthwise from the top while keeping the stem intact.
- Arrange eggplants on a baking sheet brush with olive oil and sprinkle sea salt.
- Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes or until eggplants are softened.
Prepare Meat Stuffing
- In a small saucepan, over medium-high heat, heat neutral or olive oil, add chopped onion, and sauté until caramelized.
- Add meat over sauted onion, break ground meat with the back of the spatula, then add ground cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the meat is browned and fully cooked.
- Add toasted pine nuts to the mixture.
Stuffing Eggplants
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- After eggplants are safe to handle, with your hands hollow a pocket in each eggplant and fill with the meat mixture, about 2-3 tablespoons each, and continue until all eggplants are filled.
- Arrange in a Pyrex or a casserole (9x13).
- In a separate cup mix warm meat broth with tomato paste, salt, and allspice (you can use a blender) then pour all over and around the stuffed eggplants.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Serve hot over a bed of white or vermicelli rice.
Notes
- You can test eggplants for softness with a fork during roasting.
- You can toast pine nuts under a broiler for 2-4 minutes, or in a skillet heat neutral or olive oil and sauté for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent them from burning.
Yasmeena says
I must try this looks really delicious and I love your detailed instructions.
★★★★★
Wafa Shami says
Enjoy and let me know how it'll turn out.
Laila says
Looks delicious, where I grew up we make the same dish but with zucchini and in yogurt sauce.
★★★★★
Wafa Shami says
Yes, the one with zucchini is a different dish, we call it ablama.