Snail soup / dshish bel baboush

Name: Snail soup / dshish bel baboush - Noemi H.
Ingredients: 4 large tablespoons of concentrated tomato paste; approximately 5 tablespoons of olive oil or sunflower oil; 2 teaspoons of salt; 1 teaspoon of paprika; 4; 5 cloves of garlic; pepper/salt to taste; shish (ground wheat); 1 bunch of parsley; 1/2 bunch of celery leaves; 1/2 bunch of beet leaves; 40 snails (garden); lemon juice (optional)

Soups - Snail soup / dshish bel baboush by Noemi H. - Recipia

Tunisian snail soup, dshish bel baboush The first time I ate snails was in Tunisia, and I learned the recipe from my husband. I was a bit hesitant at first, but I liked the soup and made it a few more times. In Tunisia, snails are mainly consumed in winter, during the rainy season, when they can also be found at the market. The soup has a spiced tomato base, and the dshish, which is ground wheat, gives it a slightly more liquid consistency than a cream soup. Quick Info Total time: about 3 days for cleaning and preparing the snails, plus cooking time; the exact duration of the hibernation period in the fridge is not specified Preparation time: about 2 days for feeding the snails with flour, then washing and preparing them Cooking time: about 60 minutes Servings: not specified in the original recipe; the quantity of 40 snails can be divided based on the desired serving Difficulty: medium, mainly due to the preparation of the snails Recipe type: Tunisian winter soup with snails, tomatoes, and dshish Ingredients 40 garden snails 4 tablespoons of concentrated tomato paste About 5 tablespoons of olive oil or sunflower oil 2 teaspoons of tebel 1 teaspoon of paprika 4-5 garlic cloves, crushed Pepper, to taste Salt, to taste Dshish, or ground wheat, in the necessary amount for the desired consistency 1 bunch of parsley 1/2 bunch of celery leaves 1/2 bunch of beet leaves Lemon juice, optional, for serving Preparation method 1. Clean the snails before cooking Put the collected snails in a bucket and wash them well. Cover the bucket with a sieve, not with an airtight lid. The snails must not be able to escape, but they should be able to breathe. For the next two days, feed them with flour. This way, they clean out what they have consumed before being collected. After two days, wash them again well. It is important to use garden snails meant for consumption and not to use snails collected from places where you do not know if they are suitable for harvesting. 2. Put the snails in the fridge After washing, place the snails in a jar with a lid and put the jar in the fridge, so the snails can enter hibernation. The original recipe does not specify exactly how long they should stay cold. After taking them out, the snails can be killed with a needle. Then place them immediately in boiling water. 3. Boil the snails Let the snails boil for about 30 minutes over medium heat. Supervise the pot at this stage. Their mucus turns into foam when boiling, and this can rise quickly and cause a fire. After boiling, rinse the snails well with cold water. At this point, the mucus is no longer a problem. If you prefer, the snails can be removed from their shells with a toothpick, either before putting them in the soup or when serving. 4. Prepare the tomato base In a pot, add the oil and tomato paste. Stir for about a minute. Briefly frying the paste helps reduce acidity and changes its flavor to a rounder one. Add the tebel, paprika, crushed garlic, and pepper. Pour in water and mix. The amount of water is not specified in the original recipe, so use enough to create a soup, keeping in mind that it will be thickened by the dshish at the end. 5. Add the snails and dshish When the liquid starts to boil, add the snails and let them simmer in the tomato base for about 20 minutes. After this time, add the dshish, or ground wheat. There is no exact amount in the original recipe. Add it gradually, depending on the desired consistency, as the soup should remain slightly more liquid than a cream soup. Let it boil for another 10 minutes, then add the parsley, celery leaves, beet leaves, and salt. Continue boiling until the greens are cooked, and the soup reaches the desired consistency. 6. Serve the soup The snail soup is served hot. At the table, you can add a little lemon juice. The snails can be eaten from the shell or removed with a toothpick. Why I make the recipe often I love it because it is different from regular soups, but it does not have a complicated preparation after the snails have been cleaned. The tomato base, garlic, and spices provide the main flavor, and the dshish binds the soup and makes it more substantial. It is also a flexible recipe: if I do not have dshish, I use couscous, as is done in the alternative version of the original recipe. Tips and variations Tips Supervise the snails in the first 30 minutes of boiling, as the foam formed can rise and cause a fire. Wash the snails well after boiling, with cold water, before putting them in the soup. The tomato paste should be mixed in oil for about a minute before adding the water. This step reduces its acidity. The dshish is added after the snails have already boiled for 20 minutes in the soup. If added too early, the final consistency may become thicker than desired. Salt is added towards the end, along with the parsley, celery leaves, and beet leaves. Substitutions If you do not have dshish, you can replace it with couscous. The amount is adjusted based on how thick you want the soup to be. It is not recommended to replace the snails with another ingredient if you want to keep the recipe in its original form. The snails are the main ingredient and give the dish its specificity. Variations The soup can be made with snails left in their shells or with snails removed before being added to the pot. To remove them, use a toothpick. The consistency can be adjusted by the amount of dshish. For a more fluid soup, add less; for a thicker one, gradually add more, without losing the soup texture. Serving ideas Serve the soup hot, with a little lemon juice added directly to the bowl. If the snails have remained in their shells, provide toothpicks for easier removal. Frequently asked questions How long should the snails boil before being added to the soup? The snails boil for about 30 minutes in boiling water over medium heat. After that, they are rinsed with cold water and placed in the tomato base, where they boil for about 20 minutes more. Why does foam appear when boiling the snails? The mucus of the snails turns into foam during boiling. The foam can rise and cause the liquid to boil over, which is why it is good to supervise the pot. After the snails have boiled and been rinsed, mucus is no longer a problem. Can I remove the snails from their shells before putting them in the soup? Yes. The snails can be removed from their shells with a toothpick. They can also be left in their shells, to be removed at serving. What can I replace dshish with? If you do not have dshish, you can use couscous. This is added at the same stage, after the snails have boiled for 20 minutes in the tomato base. The amount is added based on the desired consistency. When is the soup ready? The soup is ready when the dshish is cooked, the greens are soft, and the liquid has a consistency slightly more fluid than a cream soup. Nutritional values The values below are estimates and depend greatly on the amount of oil, dshish, and water used. Since the recipe does not specify the number of servings and the amount of dshish, the estimate is calculated for 4 servings. For one serving: Calories: approximately 250-330 kcal Protein: approximately 15-20 g Carbohydrates: approximately 15-25 g Fats: approximately 15-21 g Fiber: approximately 2-4 g Most of the fat comes from the approximately 5 tablespoons of oil, and the carbohydrates vary based on the amount of dshish or couscous used. The snails mainly contribute protein and usually have a low fat content. Storage and reheating The soup can be stored in the fridge after it has cooled down and should be consumed shortly. When reheating, warm it over low heat and stir, as the dshish continues to absorb liquid and the soup may thicken after cooling. If it has become too thick, it can be thinned with a little water during reheating. The final consistency should remain more liquid than a cream soup. Consume it hot, plain, or with a little lemon juice.

Snail soup / dshish bel baboush

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