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Karantika
Karantika: Oran's baked chickpea-flour flan with cumin, sold in squares with harissa
Schoolchildren in Oran spend their pocket money on karantika, a savoury chickpea-flour flan baked in huge trays and cut into squares by street vendors, who sprinkle it with cumin and harissa and often stuff it into a piece of baguette. Its roots go back to the Spanish calentica of Oran's past, and it has spread across western Algeria. Made with only chickpea flour, water, oil and egg, it bakes into a soft, custardy, slightly wobbly middle under a crisp, burnished top. Serve it warm, cut into squares, with harissa; to keep the dish gluten free, skip the bread. Chef's tip: rest the batter for at least 30 minutes before baking; the flour hydrates and the flan sets smooth instead of grainy.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 9 oz chickpea flour
- 4 ¼ cups water
- ½ cup vegetable oilplus extra for the tin
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
To serve
- 2 tbsp harissa pasteloosened with a little water
- 1 tsp ground cumin
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Whisk 9 oz chickpea flour, 4 ¼ cups water, ½ cup vegetable oil, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp ground black pepper into a smooth, very thin batter. Leave it to rest for 30 minutes or up to a few hours in the fridge.
30 minStep 2: Heat the oven to 425°F (fan 400°F). Oil a 30 × 22 cm metal baking tin and heat it in the oven for 5 minutes.
5 minStep 3: Whisk 2 eggs into the batter. Pour it into the hot tin; it should be about 2 cm deep and will look like milk. Don't worry: a common mistake is adding more flour to thicken it, which makes a dry, cakey karantika instead of a soft flan.
Step 4: Bake on the top shelf for 30–35 minutes, until the top is set, deep golden and blistered, and the middle only just trembles when you shake the tin.
33 minStep 5: Cool for 10 minutes so it firms, then cut into squares. Brush with 2 tbsp harissa paste and sprinkle with 1 tsp ground cumin. Eat warm, on its own or in a piece of baguette.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbs
- 23 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does karantika take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
- What can I use instead of ground cumin?
- Cumin seeds, toasted and ground.
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