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Swiss Chard Stalk Dip/ Mutabal Silik

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Swiss chard leaves are often used interchangeably with grape leaves in Lebanon and the Middle East, they are  stuffed with a mix of rice, meat, and warm spices and sometimes with rice and veggies and are cooked slow and low until tender known as silik mahshi in Arabic, and we don’t throw the stacks of the Swiss chard, but we cook them and turn them into a delicious dip, known locally as mutabal silik, little known in the West but deserves a spot on and earn the right to be included among the favorite dips alongside hummus and baba ghanouj.

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How to make Swiss chard stalk dip?

Treat it the way you treat baba ghanouj, keep the tahini, lemon juice and crushed garlic,  but here swap roasted eggplants for cooked Swiss chard stalks, a simple dip, but it’s pretty well guaranteed to spoil your appetite, it’s wonderful with Arabic bread and a nice drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

How to cook the Swiss chard stalks?

Place the stalks in a saucepan (you can roughly cut them if you desire) and cover with water. Add a pinch of sugar upon boiling, cover up and cook over low heat about 25 minutes or until tender. Drain to remove the excess liquid.

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Ingredients needed to make Swiss chard stalk dip (mutabal silik)

  • Swiss Chard Stalks, the star of the show
  • Lemon, to add a citrus flavor
  • Garlic to add an umami flavor
  • Tahini, to add a nutty flavor
  • Salt, to season
  • Water, to boil the stalks

More Dips to enjoy

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Storage:

The dip can be covered and refrigerated for up to 4 days.

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Mutabal Silik/ Swiss Chard Stalks Dip

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Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 23 minutes
Servings 2
Course
Appetizer
Snack
Cuisine
Lebanese
Levant
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Description

In the Lebanese culture throwing away food is a bad omen, our ancestors created a recipe for every part of food, including the stalks of Swiss chard, they turned them into a delicious dip, known locally as mutabal silik, little known in the West but deserves a spot on, and should earn the right to be included among the favorite dips alongside hummus, baba ghanouj and muhammara.

Ingredients
 

  • 450 grams /1 pound Swiss chard stalks
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 large garlic clove crushed
  • 1/2 cup tahini
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • Extra virgin olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Place the Swiss chard stalks in a pan and cover with water. Add sugar upon boiling, cover up  and cook over low heat for 25 15 minutes or until tender. Drain to remove the excess liquid.
  • Transfer the stalks to a bowl, you can roughly mash using a mortal and pestle or  use an immersion blender if you prefer it less chunky, add the lemon juice and process to a rough paste.  Add the crushed garlic, tahini and salt, mix well and transfer to a plate.
  • Create a well in the middle of the dip, by using the back of the spoon. Add some olive oil to the well and serve with pita bread.
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Hadia Zebib is a cook, baker and author. She acquired a reputation for being a good cook after entertaining dinner guests for more than 30 years, and her husband encouraged her, telling her that she should write a cookbook. She started her food blog, Hadia’s Lebanese Cuisine. Over time, millions of people have visited her site in search of Lebanese and Middle Eastern recipes.

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Welcome to Hadia”s Lebanese Cuisine; a blog that talks about Hadia’s love and passion for Lebanese, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food. It is all about her home cooking, where she included step by step instructions and pictures with inspiration for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert recipes.

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Welcome to Hadia”s Lebanese Cuisine; a blog that talks about Hadia’s love and passion for Lebanese, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food. It is all about her home cooking, where she included step by step instructions and pictures with inspiration for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert recipes.

Instagram Youtube Facebook X-twitter Pinterest Linkedin

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