Tunisia | Stew

Tunisian Mloukhia

Tunisian slow-cooked jute leaf stew with beef, olive oil, garlic, bay, coriander, caraway, and chili.

Country
Tunisia
Region
North Africa
Time
230 min
Serves
6
Level
medium
Start cooking Explore Tunisia recipes
01 / Get ready

Everything you need

Tap each ingredient as you gather it. Illustrations are visual guides; follow the ingredient names and quantities.

Servings 6

Scale the dish before you shop, then use the checklist while you cook.

Jump to methodMy cookbook

02 / Let’s cook

One step at a time

Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.

Back to Tunisia
4 steps 20 min prep 210 min cook (check method) 230 min total medium
1
Bloom the powder
Whisk mloukhia powder into warm olive oil until smooth and dark.
bloom 08:00
2
Add water slowly
Whisk in boiling water gradually until the stew is smooth.
whisk 08:00
3
Simmer with meat
Add beef, garlic, bay, spices, harissa, and salt, then simmer very gently.
slow simmer 180:00
4
Finish glossy
Cook until the meat is tender and oil rises to the surface. Serve with lemon.
finish 15:00

Some homes use beef, others lamb or tripe. The stew can be very spicy or warmly aromatic depending on the spice paste.

Cooking notes, photos & serving ideas
Recipe context

More about this dish

Serving ideas, regional context, and cooking cues for when you want more detail.

When to cook it

Best for weekend cooking, family gatherings, and make-ahead meals.. Plan on a medium cook. Allow about 230 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Crusty bread, lemon, pickled peppers, or salad mechouia.

Regional lane

Tunisia national table. A structured Tunisia dish in the AfroKitchen archive.

Chef watch-outs
  • Stopping the base before the pepper, onion, or spice edge has mellowed.
  • Thinning the pot before the body of the soup or stew has developed.
  • Overcooking the greens until the color and texture collapse.
How you know it is ready
  • The sauce should coat the spoon and taste rounded, not watery or raw.
  • Greens should be cooked through but still look alive and glossy.
  • The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
Recipe illustrations

See the dish before you cook

Take a closer look at the dish and its serving ideas.

Tunisian Mloukhia with beef in dark olive-green powdered-leaf stew; AI-generated recipe illustration
Tunisian Mloukhia finished dish · AI-generated illustration
Chef board

Build the table around Tunisian Mloukhia

Crusty bread, lemon, pickled peppers, or salad mechouia.

Best route from here

Tunisia national table

Collections to keep cooking
Explore Tunisia recipes
Explore more recipes
Keep exploring

Cook around Tunisian Mloukhia

Find a side dish or your next recipe from the same country or collection.

Lablabi recipe from Tunisia Tunisia Breakfast Lablabi Tunisian lablabi, garlic-cumin chickpea broth ladled over torn bread with harissa, olive oil, lemon, capers, and optional e... Time560 min ServingsServes 4 DifficultyEasy DietDairy Free RegionNorth Africa Open recipe Fish steaks over couscous with carrots, potatoes, zucchini and chickpeas in red broth; AI-generated recipe illustration Tunisia Recipe Tunisian Fish Couscous Tunisian couscous steamed over spicy tomato fish broth with vegetables, chickpeas, and harissa. Time105 min ServingsServes 6 DifficultyMedium DietDairy Free RegionNorth Africa Open recipe Makroudh recipe from Tunisia Tunisia Dessert Makroudh Tunisian semolina pastries filled with date paste, fried or baked, then soaked in honey syrup. Time100 min ServingsServes 24 DifficultyHard DietVegetarian RegionNorth Africa Open recipe Tunisian Fricassee recipe from Tunisia Tunisia Recipe Tunisian Fricassee Tunisian fried sandwich rolls filled with tuna, potato, egg, olives, harissa, and preserved lemon. Time85 min ServingsServes 10 DifficultyMedium DietDairy Free RegionNorth Africa Open recipe
Browse AfroKitchen Explore Tunisia recipes