Mahshi (Stuffed Vegetables)

Mahshi means stuffed in Arabic, and in Egypt it describes a whole family of vegetables — zucchini, bell peppers, tomatoes, and small eggplants — hollowed out and packed with herbed rice, sometimes with ground beef, then simmered in tomato broth. It is the dish grandmothers make for Friday lunch, working through a mountain of cored vegetables at the kitchen table while the sauce bubbles on the stove. Many cooks add a few small lamb shanks or chicken pieces to the pot so the broth turns rich and savory, and the word alone makes Egyptians a little homesick.

A mountain of vegetables, one patient pot

Each vegetable cooks into a tender, almost candied shell that gives against your fork, releasing a fragrant rice filling perfumed with allspice, cinnamon, and garlic. The sauce reduces into a sweet tomato glaze that you will find yourself spooning over plain rice long after the vegetables are gone. Mahshi takes time, but the payoff is a platter of jewel-bright vegetables that tastes like a holiday, best eaten with cold yogurt to cut the richness. Small vegetables cook fastest and look prettiest on the platter, so start with the smallest you can find.

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