Recipe and photos courtesy of Embassy of Tunisia in Tokyo.
Tuna Brik
Ingredients:
- 10 malsouka (malsouqa) pastry sheets (If none are available, substitute spring roll wraps)
- 250 g tuna
- 4 potatoes (mashed potato can also be used)
- 1 egg per serving
- 2 tbsp capers
- 100 g parsley, chopped
- 100 g cheese, diced
- Salt and black pepper
- Oil for deep frying
Preparation:
- Peel the potatoes, cut into 2-centimetre cubes and boil. When they are soft enough that you can put a skewer through them, dump the water and stir the potatoes until they form a starchy layer on the outside. Cool and stir in the parsley.
- Spread a pastry sheet out on a plate. Put some of the potato from step 1 plus a complimentary amount of cheese, capers, salt and pepper in the middle. Crack open an egg and pour it into the centre.
- Wet the edges on two sides of the pastry and fold it into a triangle, enveloping the filling. Make sure the edges are sealed, or the egg will leak out.
- Heat plenty of oil in a pan and fry the brik on medium heat until it’s golden brown. Turn over and repeat. Remove and drain.
Brik tips
- Make absolutely sure the edges of the pastry are sealed, or the egg will escape – a potentially messy problem.
- Use olive oil for frying.
- You can make the egg as hard as you like, but leaving it a bit runny is recommended.
- There are plenty of homemade variations on this Tunisian classic, including using mashed potato, so feel free to experiment.
Edited by: Rika Sakai and Robert Sakai-Irvine