Stuffed Onions (Basal Mahshi)

Ingredients

• 6 large yellow onions, peeled
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup white rice, rinsed
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cups tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons tamarind concentrate
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 cups water
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Method

1. 1

   Trim the root and stem ends of the onions, then bring a large pot of water to a boil and boil the whole onions for 8 minutes to soften the layers.

   8:00 · Boil onions
2. 2

   Drain the onions and let cool slightly, then use a paring knife to cut out the center of each onion, leaving an outer shell of 2 to 3 layers about 1/4 inch thick. Reserve the inner onion pieces for another use.

3. 3

   In a bowl, combine the ground beef, rinsed rice, parsley, cinnamon, allspice, black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Mix well with your hands until evenly combined.

4. 4

   Loosely pack the meat and rice mixture into each hollowed onion shell, filling about three-quarters full to allow room for the rice to expand.

5. 5

   Heat the olive oil in a wide pot over medium heat and arrange the stuffed onions upright and snugly in a single layer.

6. 6

   In a bowl, whisk together the tomato sauce, tamarind concentrate, lemon juice, sugar, water, minced garlic, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, then pour over the onions in the pot.

7. 7

   Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently until the onions are very tender and the rice is cooked through, basting occasionally with the sauce.

   1:30:00 · Simmer stuffed onions
8. 8

   Uncover and simmer an additional 10 minutes to thicken the sauce slightly, then remove from heat and let rest 5 minutes before serving the onions with sauce spooned over the top.

   10:00 · Reduce sauce