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Msemen m'amer (stuffed square msemen)
مسمن معمر (msemen m'amer): layered griddle squares stuffed with onion, tomato, parsley and cumin
MoroccanMorning cafés in Fes and Casablanca sell msemen m'amer straight off the griddle: the familiar square laminated pancake, but folded around a spicy filling of onion, tomato, parsley, cumin and paprika, so every bite has a juicy, savoury layer. It's eaten for breakfast or at teatime with mint tea, and in Ramadan it's on every iftar table. Wet filling is the enemy — fry it until dry or it steams the dough from inside and tears it. Chef's tip: oil your hands and the worktop rather than flouring them; that oil is what makes the layers. Contains wheat.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the dough
- 12 ½ oz plain flour
- 3 ½ oz fine semolina
- ½ tsp instant yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ¼ cups warm water
For the filling
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onionsvery finely chopped
- 1 ripe tomatograted, skin discarded
- ⅔ oz flat-leaf parsleyfinely chopped
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- ¼ tsp chilli flakes
- ½ tsp salt
For shaping
- ½ cup sunflower oil
- 3 tbsp fine semolina
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mix 12 ½ oz plain flour, 3 ½ oz fine semolina, ½ tsp instant yeast, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp salt, add 1 ¼ cups warm water and knead for 8–10 minutes until very smooth and stretchy. Divide into 8 balls, oil them and rest 15 minutes under a cloth.
10 minStep 2: For the filling, fry 2 onions in 2 tbsp olive oil over a medium heat until soft. Add 1 ripe tomato, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp sweet paprika, ¼ tsp chilli flakes and ½ tsp salt and cook until all the liquid has gone. Stir in ⅔ oz flat-leaf parsley and cool.
12 minStep 3: Oil the worktop with ½ cup sunflower oil. Flatten a ball and spread it with oiled fingers into a paper-thin round. Sprinkle with 3 tbsp fine semolina, spread a tablespoon of filling in the centre, then fold the sides in to make a square with the filling inside, then fold again into a smaller square.
15 minStep 4: Rest the squares 5 minutes, then press them out with oiled palms to about 12 cm.
3 minStep 5: Cook on a dry griddle or heavy pan over a medium heat, 3–4 minutes a side, pressing and turning, until crisp, golden and flaky. Serve warm.
25 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does msemen m'amer (stuffed square msemen) take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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