Libyan Home-made Pasta: Megata/Rishdet Burma مقطع/رشدة برمة

Megata (literally: chopped) is also known as Rishdet Burma in Tripoli - Burma means pot and this is to distinguish it from Rishdet Kaskas, another kind of fresh pasta steamed in a couscous pot. Megata is a Libyan dish of fresh home-made pasta cooked in a tomato-based sauce, often made  with gideed (dried meat). Depending on the region, the dish can include different kinds of additions. In the west Megatat is made with  beans, lentils, fava beans, chickpeas and fenugreek. The eastern method is with coriander, basil and fresh mint. A lighter version of Megata is cooked in milk or buttermilk instead of a tomato-based sauce. There is another variation (which is good for colds) where the pasta itself is made with a mix of thyme and flour, and served in a thyme and olive oil sauce.

Ingredients (serves 6-8)

Dough

6 cups of flour

3 cups of water

1 tsp salt

Sauce 

2 handfuls chopped Gideed (or 500 g cubed fresh beef or lamb)

1/2 cup of oil

1 finely chopped onion

2 finely chopped tomatoes
3 tablespoons tomato paste

3 finely chopped cloves of garlic

1/2 cup lentils

1/2 cup of pre-soaked chickpeas
1/2 cup of dry fava beans

1/2 cup of fresh fava beans
2 fresh hot chillies (optional)

Spices

1 tablespoons fenugreek
1 teaspoon red pepper

2 teaspoons tumeric

1 teaspoon black pepper

Salt to taste (remember that the gideed is salty!)

 

Pour the flour in a deep bowl, add the salt, make a hollow in the center and add the water gradually, until the dough is firm. The dough is meant to be hard. Cover and leave to rest while you make the sauce.

 Stir the gideed in a little oil.

Add the tomato paste, chopped tomato and onion and the spices. Stir on medium heat for a few minutes.

Add the pulses and chickpeas.

 Add the garlic and chillies, then about 1 liter of water to the pot and cover and leave the sauce on medium low heat for around half an hour. Meanwhile return to the dough!

Once the dough has rested, form into a 'loaf' and cut into 'slices'.

Powder each side of each 'slice' with plenty of flour.

If you have a pasta machine, put each piece of dough through the lasagna roller and layer the resulting lengths on top of each other, with a (very generous) dusting of flour in between to prevent sticking.

Cut each length into half and thin out again by putting through the machine for a second time.

The third time, put the dough through the tagliatelle cutter.

If you don't have a pasta machine, use a rolling pin to thin out each piece, then begin chopping from one end into noodles/tagliatelle. I've demonstrated using only one layer, but you should stack four layers with plenty of flour in between then begin chopping.

Add about 1 liter of water to the sauce pot. Bring to boil. Throw the pasta in the pot, a bunch at a time rather than all at once and stir gently. Let it cook for around 20 minutes.

Serve warm with wholemeal bread and lemon wedges.

Libyan Dried Meat (Jerky): Gideed قديد ليبي

This is the Libyan way of drying and preserving meat. If you happen to visit Libya during Eid Adha, you will see thin strips of meat hanging from lines in the gardens and on the rooftops. This is gideed, dried meat which is used in many traditional Libyan recipes such as Megata/Rishdet Burma (Libyan home-made pasta). The meat is cut into strips and salted and dried, with spices added to prevent bacteria. The meat is then quickly fried in hot oil and then preserved in jars sealed with melted fat. A healthier if untraditional adaptated recipe is to use half the salt, skip the frying and freeze the gideed instead.

Ingredients
For every 2 kg boneless fresh beef or lamb meat / do not wash the meat.
8 tablespoon salt (or 4 if drying indoors)
2 tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon ground hot red chili pepper
Olive or veg. oil for brushing if drying outdoors
More olive oil for quick frying (if not freezing)

 

Cut the meat into strips.

 

Use a knife to puncture the meat at intervals.

Sprinkle the salt and spices and rub in both sides of the meat using your gloved hand.

 

Alternately, brush on the spices and salt and press it down.

Leave to absorb salt and spices for about 1 hour.

 

Hang the meat in a warm and dry place. Remember to put a tray covered with kitchen towel underneath to absorb any dripping. If outdoors, hang on sunny days, but in this case you have to use more salt and to brush both sides  generously with oil immediately before hanging it to protect the meat from insects.

You can even dry the meat in a tray in the oven if it is a hot air oven, 50c for about 10 hours, turning every 2 hours.

When the meat is completely dry cut it into smaller pieces and store. The time the meat takes to dry depends on the method used: 10 to 12 hours in the hot air oven, 2/5 days hanging inside in front of a radiator or outdoors. The traditional way of storing the gideed is to quickly fry in batches in hot oil, then place in jars where the melted fat forms a protective seal. Alternately, (more healthily) put the gideed pieces in plastic bags and freeze.