Sheikh Mahshi is loved and prepared by many Middle Eastern cultures, Assyrians included. Some refer to this dish as "Sheikh El-Mahshi." In Arabic, "Sheikh Mahshi" means "Stuffed Prince." These delicious stuffed vegetables are served over white or Vermicelli Rice.
About This Recipe
Of all the stuffed vegetable recipes, this one is considered the fanciest. The reason for this is that the vegetables are stuffed with meat.
Other recipes, like Dolma, for example, are stuffed with a mixture of meat and rice, making them more economical to prepare. But don't worry, we don't omit the rice entirely. Sheikh Mahshi is served with white rice on the side.
How to Make Sheikh Mahshi
Filling
Step 1: Brown the meat, along with the onion, until the meat is no longer pink. Add garlic, ¾ cup parsley, and the remaining filling ingredients. Cook for a few minutes longer. Set aside to cool. Save the remaining ¼ cup of parsley for later.
Preparing Vegetables
Step 2: Remove the stems from the eggplant and cut a ½" section off the end, and trim to fit inside the cored eggplant. If you have a coring tool, use that, otherwise, you will need to use a small knife. Save the eggplant flesh in a separate bowl.
Step 3: Remove the stems off of the peppers and slice the tops off and retain. Clean the inside of the peppers, making sure to remove all the seeds. Poke a few holes in the eggplant and peppers using a fork.
Step 4: Slice a thin section off of that potato and scoop out the flesh with a spoon, creating a bowl to stuff with meat. Save the other section to use as a lid.
Step 5: Mix the salt and pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle the salt and pepper into the vegetables. Use your hand to rub the salt and pepper into the cavities of carved vegetables.
Step 6: Add ¼ cup oil to the pot. Fry the vegetables and the lids on all sides. Make sure the potatoes are slightly browned and the eggplant and peppers are softened. Set aside to cool, while you work on your sauce.
Make the Sauce
Step 7: Microwave two cups of water until hot. Add the remaining sauce ingredients. Mix until the tomato paste is completely diluted and set aside.
Assembly
Step 8: Stuff the vegetables with the meat filling and top with their lids to keep the meat from spilling out.
Step 9: Arrange all of the vegetables into the pot. Scatter the potato and eggplant flesh over the vegetables, or discard.
Step 10: Pour the sauce over the vegetables. Sprinkle with remaining chopped parsley, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Upon boiling, turn the temperature to low and cook, covered, for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the sauce has thickened.
Serve the Sheikh Mahshi over rice.
Variations of This Recipe
The most common vegetable used in this recipe is eggplant. Another popular vegetable is zucchini. My mom, however, always used a mixture of eggplant, green bell peppers, and potatoes.
The potatoes were always my favorite! I like the option of having different vegetables, especially when cooking this dish for others.
Not everyone likes eggplant, like my husband, Scott, for example.
He loves this dish because I serve him the potatoes and green peppers, and save the eggplant for myself. Another variation of this recipe is cooking the vegetables in a yogurt sauce instead of a tomato sauce.
While some cultures include pine nuts, I, like my mom, prefer to leave them out.
Special Tools Recommended
Although there are no special tools required for this recipe, there is one tool that I highly recommend: A vegetable corer.
A corer is very helpful in coring the eggplant, while not damaging their "walls."
This tool is also very handy for stuffing zucchini and eggplant when making Dolma. Although a sharp knife may be used, you just have to be more careful. An apple corer may be used as an alternative.
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Meat Stuffed Vegetables (Sheikh Mahshi Recipe)
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 lb ground beef or turkey
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup Italian parsley divided
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon paprika
Vegetables
- 3 medium potatoes
- 3 small Indian eggplant
- 3 medium green bell peppers
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
Sauce
- 6 oz. tomato paste
- 2 cups water
- ½ teaspoon citric acid
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Filling
- Brown the meat, along with the onion, until the meat is no longer pink. Add garlic, ¾ cup parsley, and the remaining filling ingredients. Cook for a few minutes longer. Set aside to cool. Save the remaining ¼ cup of parsley for later.
Prepare Vegetables
- Remove the stems from the eggplant and cut a ½" section off the end, and trim to fit inside the cored eggplant. If you have a coring tool, use that, otherwise, you will need to use a small knife. Save the eggplant flesh in a separate bowl.
- Remove the stems off of the peppers and slice the tops off and retain. Clean the inside of the peppers, making sure to remove all the seeds. Poke a few holes in the eggplant and peppers using a fork.
- Slice a thin section off of that potato and scoop out the flesh with a spoon, creating a bowl to stuff with meat. Save the other section to use as a lid.
- Mix the salt and pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle the salt and pepper into the vegetables. Use your hand to rub the salt and pepper into the cavities of carved vegetables.
- Add ¼ cup oil to the pot. Fry the vegetables and the lids on all sides. Make sure the potatoes are slightly browned and the eggplant and peppers are softened. Set aside to cool, while you work on your sauce.
Prepare the Sauce
- Microwave two cups of water until hot. Add the remaining sauce ingredients. Mix until the tomato paste is completely diluted.
Assembly
- Stuff the vegetables with the meat filling and top with their lids to keep the meat from spilling out.
- Arrange all of the vegetables into the pot. Scatter the potato and eggplant flesh over the vegetables, or discard.
- Pour the sauce over the vegetables. Sprinkle with remaining chopped parsley, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Upon boiling, turn the temperature to low and cook, covered, for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the sauce has thickened.
- Serve the Sheikh Mahshi over rice.
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