• Ingredients 9 Ingredients
  • Total time 65 min total
  • Servings Serves Serves 4
  • Difficulty Medium
  • Cuisine Tunisian
  • Category Vegetarian
Recipe byThe ZestyPlate Kitchen
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A Tunisian fried vegetable dish of potato, pumpkin, peppers and onion chopped together with egg and warmed through with ras el hanout.

Kafteji is a Tunisian street-food staple: a bright jumble of fried potatoes, peppers, pumpkin and onions chopped together with egg and ras el hanout. Everything fries first, then gets hacked down on a board into a rough, savoury hash. It's bold, spiced and full of character, the kind of food you eat with a piece of bread in hand.
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Prep 20 min Cook 45 min Total 65 min Medium
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Ingredients

Scale:
  • 5 Large Potatoes
  • 2 tbs Olive Oil
  • 1 Green Pepper
  • 5 Onions
  • 1 tbs Ras El Hanout
  • 500g Pumpkin
  • 24 Skinned Eggs
  • Pinch Salt
  • Pinch Pepper
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Kafteji

Preparation

  1. Peel the potatoes and cut into 5cm cubes.
  2. Pour 1 to 2cm of olive oil into a large pan and heat until very hot, then fry the potatoes until golden brown, about 20 minutes, turning now and then, and drain on kitchen paper.
  3. Halve the peppers, scoop out the seeds, rub with a little oil, and place cut-side down on a tray under the grill until the skin is dark and blistered. While still hot, seal them in a plastic bag for 15 minutes, then peel off the skins.
  4. Meanwhile, heat more oil in another pan, peel and slice the onions into thin rings, and fry for 15 minutes until golden, turning often, adding the ras el hanout near the end.
  5. Cut the pumpkin into 5cm cubes and fry in the potato pan for 10 to 15 minutes until soft and lightly browned, then drain.
  6. Pour off the excess oil, return all the cooked vegetables to the pan, and mix. Whisk the eggs, pour them over the vegetables, and cover until the eggs cook.
  7. Tip onto a large board, add salt and pepper, and chop and mix everything together with a big knife.

Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen

  • Fry each vegetable on its own so they all cook through properly before you combine them.
  • Char and peel the peppers for a smoky note that lifts the whole dish.
  • Chop everything together on a board with a big knife; that's the traditional finishing move.
  • Season well and stir the ras el hanout in towards the end so its fragrance stays lively.

Frequently Asked Questions

A North African spice blend that can run to dozens of spices, among them cumin, coriander, cinnamon and rose. It gives kafteji its warm, fragrant edge.

Frying is the traditional way and gives the richest flavour, but you can roast them for a lighter version. The texture will shift a little.

It's scrambled or cooked through with the vegetables, then everything is chopped together into a hash. Some cooks add a fried egg on top too.

Crusty bread is ideal for scooping. Kafteji often comes with harissa for extra heat, as a quick and filling meal.

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