Authentic M'touem Recipe for One

This M'touem recipe (also spelled mtewem) is an Algerian dish of garlic lamb meatballs poached in a gently spiced sauce with chickpeas. It is made two ways, with a white sauce or a red one, and this version for one uses the red sauce, built on tomato puree, sweet paprika and cumin. Serve it with plenty of crusty bread to mop up the garlicky sauce.

I bought a lamb shoulder and asked the butcher to cut it into pieces. I chilled one of the pieces, minced it in the KitchenAid for the 200 g of lamb mince used here, and put a spare chop into the stew as the bone-in lamb.

M'touem Recipe: Ingredients

Serves 1. Prep: 15 minutes. Cook: about 50 minutes.

For the meatballs

• 200 g lamb mince
• 3 garlic cloves, very finely grated or crushed to a paste
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• ½ egg white, whisked (just enough to bind the meat so it stays soft)
• 1 tbsp breadcrumbs

For the stew

• 1 small bone-in lamb chop
• 1 tbsp ghee (or smen, or olive oil)
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• ½ tsp tomato puree
• ½ tsp sweet paprika
• 60 g cooked chickpeas (rinsed if from a tin)
• A pinch of ground cumin and a pinch of black pepper
• Sea salt
• About 300 ml boiling water

To serve

• Crusty bread, such as a baguette

How to Make This M'touem Recipe

1. Shape the meatballs: In a bowl, mix the lamb mince, 3 grated garlic cloves, cumin, black pepper, salt, breadcrumbs and just enough egg white to make a soft, cohesive mixture. Roll into small, walnut-sized balls, about 3 cm across. Cover and chill in the fridge.
2. Start the stew: Heat the ghee in a small pan over a medium-low heat. Brown the lamb chop gently on both sides for about 5 minutes. Add the remaining 3 chopped garlic cloves and cook briefly, taking care not to burn them. Stir in the tomato puree and paprika and let them fry in the fat for 1 minute.
3. Simmer the broth: Add the pinch of cumin, pinch of pepper and salt, then pour in about 300 ml boiling water, enough to submerge the chop. Add the chickpeas. Turn the heat down low, cover, and simmer gently for 25 to 35 minutes until the lamb is tender. If you skip the chop, just bring the liquid to a light boil for 5 minutes.
4. Poach the meatballs: Gently drop the chilled meatballs into the simmering sauce. Don't stir with a spoon, or they may break; swirl the pan instead. Cover and cook on a low heat for 12 to 15 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce has reduced to a thick, glossy consistency.
5. Serve: Spoon everything into a bowl while hot, with crusty bread to scoop up the sauce.

White Sauce or Red Sauce?

M'touem is made with either a white sauce or a red one. The white sauce is more delicate, built on garlic, cumin and ghee. The red sauce is deeper and more savoury, with tomato and paprika. I made the red version. For the white one, leave out the tomato puree and paprika, add a small pinch of ground cinnamon with the cumin, pepper and salt, and finish with 6 or 7 blanched almonds, pan-fried in butter, scattered over the top.

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Footnote

This M'touem recipe is featured in my Lamb & Goat Recipes and North African Recipes hubs, and in my mince recipes guide, where it sits with the other lamb mince dishes.
Find more recipes and food adventures here.
Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef