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Mbakbaka

Name: Mbakbaka
Total time: 60 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Libya
Ingredients: 300g Short Pasta; 300g Chicken Thigh; 1 Onion; 3 tbsp Tomato paste; 100g (cooked) Chickpeas; 1 tsp Chili powder; 1 tsp Paprika; 1/2 tsp Turmeric; A pinch Cinnamon powder; 3 tbsp Olive oil; 1 1/2 tsp Salt; 800ml Water

Noodles

⏱ 60 min

👥 Serves 4

Difficulty ⭐

Pasta cooked directly in spicy tomato sauce without boiling — Libya's one-pot pasta.

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📖 The Story Behind This Dish

Macaroni mbakbaka is Libyan home cooking: pasta introduced during the Italian colonial period is cooked directly in spicy tomato sauce with lamb or chicken in one pot. 'Mbakbaka' is said to come from the bubbling sound of the pot. Spiced with turmeric, paprika, and chili, it's distinctly Libyan.

🌆 Where it's eaten: In a Libyan home kitchen, short pasta soaks up red sauce and cooks with chicken in a pot that bubbles noisily.

🥕 Ingredients (serves 4)

Short Pasta 300g
Chicken Thigh 300g
Onion 1
Tomato paste 3 tbsp
Chickpeas 100g (cooked)
Chili powder 1 tsp
Paprika 1 tsp
Turmeric 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon powder A pinch
Olive oil 3 tbsp
Salt 1 1/2 tsp
Water 800ml

👩‍🍳 Instructions

Heat olive oil in a pot and sauté the bite-size chicken and chopped onion.
Add the tomato paste, spices, and salt and stir-fry.
Add water and simmer 20 minutes.
Add the pasta and chickpeas and cook 15 minutes, stirring, until the pasta is tender and has absorbed the liquid.
Turn off the heat and let stand 5 minutes.

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