Kafteji

Kafteji (Tunisian Fried Vegetable Hash)

A rustic Tunisian hash of fried pumpkin, potato, peppers, tomato and onion, roughly chopped and folded through fried egg. Serve in bread with harissa, or on a plate as a light meal.

Prep

25 min

Cook

40 min

Total

65 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •400 g (14 oz) pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 2 cm / ¾ inch chunks
• •300 g (10½ oz) potatoes, peeled, cut into 2 cm / ¾ inch chunks
• •3 whole green bell peppers, or Italian frying peppers, quartered and seeded
• •3 whole ripe tomatoes, quartered
• •2 whole onions, thickly sliced into rings
• •4 whole eggs
• •250 ml (1 cup) olive oil, for shallow frying; oil may be strained and reused
• •1 tbsp harissa, plus extra to serve
• •1 tsp ground caraway, optional, traditional in some households
• •1 tsp salt, or to taste
• •1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped, to finish
• •4 whole Tunisian bread rolls or crusty rolls, for serving, optional

Steps

1. 1 Heat about 1 cm / ½ inch of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Fry the potato chunks in batches until golden and cooked through, 8–10 minutes, turning occasionally. Lift out with a slotted spoon onto kitchen paper.
2. 2 Fry the pumpkin chunks in the same oil until golden and tender when pierced with a knife, 6–8 minutes. Remove and drain.
3. 3 Fry the green pepper quarters until blistered and softened, 4–5 minutes. Remove and drain.
4. 4 Fry the tomato quarters just until they soften and start to collapse, 2–3 minutes. Remove and drain.
5. 5 Fry the onion rings until soft and lightly golden, 3–4 minutes. Remove and drain. Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of oil from the pan.
6. 6 Tip all the fried vegetables onto a large board. Using a large knife, chop them roughly together - you want a coarse, uneven hash, not a purée.
7. 7 Return the chopped vegetables to the pan over low heat. Stir in the harissa, caraway (if using) and salt. Warm through for 2 minutes.
8. 8 Push the vegetables to the edges of the pan, crack the eggs into the centre and fry, stirring and breaking them up, until just set but still soft, 2–3 minutes. Fold the eggs through the vegetables.
9. 9 Taste and adjust salt and harissa. Scatter with parsley.
10. 10 Serve immediately on plates, or split the rolls, spread with extra harissa and fill with the kafteji. Optionally add a spoonful of canned tuna to the sandwiches, as is common in Tunisia.