This recipe is part of Asif’s Open Kitchen Project where cooks who were evacuated during the war are invited to a home in Tel Aviv to cook a dish that they miss from their own home.
On a typical Friday in the Moyal family home on Moshav Yesha in the Negev, the dinner table transforms into a festive spread. Fondly recalling the days before October 7, Tami Moyal explains: “If the children are coming for dinner, there will, of course, be Tunisian food, but also Moroccan dishes so they don’t think I’m depriving grandma Simcha, [my husband] Maurice’s mother. If most of the guests are from my husband’s side, there will be only Moroccan food on the table.”
She and Maurice joined Shiri Hirsch and her family in Tel Aviv for the Open Kitchen project recently and from the moment they entered the kitchen, the room was filled with the joy of cooking dishes like couscous, Tunisian chicken meatballs called keftas, their family’s Shabbat fish recipe, and quick Tunisian pickles. While Maurice handled the fish and the pickles, Tami offered him and her hostess culinary guidance.
Born in Tunisia, she immigrated to Israel with her family when she was 10 years old. The oldest daughter of 10 siblings, she learned to cook from her mother and help take care of her brothers and sisters. She recalls being a “little mother” herself and sometimes being left with nothing to eat because the family was so big. Despite the financial hardship they faced, she insisted on studying in Be’er Sheva, financing her education by working evening cleaning jobs. “I learned to survive,” she reflects.
Her husband, the only son among three sisters, comes from a family that emigrated from Morocco. He was “spoiled,” she says laughing. After they started dating, he told Tami if they wanted to stay together, she would have to learn to cook Moroccan food — so she did. “My husband is a gem, and I won his heart through food,” she adds.
The joy of cooking together that day was interwoven with sadness as Tami and Maurice received the tragic news of the death of Col. Assaf Hammi. A commander of the southern brigade, they learned he died on October 7 and his body was taken to Gaza. Tami knew him, as well as many other soldiers who served in the area, personally through her work operating a food truck. They affectionately called her “Tami Mami.”
Before Maurice and Tami head back to the hotel where they are living, their host Shiri says: “I see you and I feel stronger. I was skeptical of whether the country would be able to recover from this disaster and get back to ourselves, but your vitality and energy give me hope.”
Cook’s notes: Tami’s keftas are coated in eggs and breadcrumbs, fried, and then simmered in a tomato sauce. She always serves them with couscous on the side. This recipe “is the condensed version,” she says. Typically, she stuffs the meatballs into slices of potatoes or eggplant for a dish that’s similar to mafrum. Tami recommends chopping the vegetables in this recipe roughly, so you can feel them in every bite.
For the keftas:
500 grams (1.1lb) ground chicken breast
¼ cup finely chopped leeks
2 celery stalks with the leaves, chopped
¼ bunch parsley, chopped
¼ bunch dill, chopped
1 egg
50 grams (1.7oz) bread crumbs
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ tablespoon sweet paprika
¼ teaspoon hot paprika (optional)
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 flat tablespoon chicken bouillon (optional)
Salt, to taste (if using chicken bouillon, add less salt)
Black pepper, to taste
For frying:
Canola or other neutral oil for deep frying
2 eggs
⅓ cup (80ml) water
½ cup breadcrumbs, or more, as needed
For the sauce:
¼ cup oil
1 onion, chopped
10 garlic cloves, chopped
1 flat teaspoon cumin
Salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
100 grams (3½ oz) tomato paste
400 grams (14 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 cups (½ liter) water
- Prepare the keftas: Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and thoroughly mix. Cover and let the mixture rest for about 20 minutes, allowing the breadcrumbs to absorb the liquid.
- Fry the keftas: Heat 1-2 cm (½ to 1-in) of oil in a sauté pan or wide pot over medium-low heat. Meanwhile, prepare two bowls: one with breadcrumbs and another with 2 beaten eggs mixed with water.
- Shape the mixture into round patties about the size of ping pong balls. Dip each patty in breadcrumbs to cover, coat in the beaten eggs, and place in the hot oil.
- Fry each kefta approximately 5 minutes on each side and transfer to a tray lined with a paper towel. Repeat with the remaining keftas.
- Prepare the sauce: Heat the oil in a wide pot over medium heat. Add the onion and fry until lightly golden, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper, stirring for a few seconds until fragrant.
- Add the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and water, mix well, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low heat, cover, and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
- Assemble the dish: Place the fried keftas in the sauce, and cover. Bring back to a boil and then lower the heat. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Serve with couscous.
