Mahjouba
Local name: محجوبة
An Algerian semolina pancake stretched until translucent, filled with slow-cooked tomato and onion, folded and griddled.
Photo: Sabah HAANA · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 75 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Hard
Method
- Mix the semolina, flour and salt. Add the water bit by bit and work the dough for 10 minutes, until it turns supple and stops sticking.
- Divide into 8 balls, coat them in oil and rest them for 30 minutes under cling film. The rest hydrates the semolina.
- Cook the onions in 3 tbsp of the oil for 10 minutes. Add the garlic, tomatoes and purée.
- Season with the paprika and chilli, then reduce for 20 minutes to a thick filling with no free liquid. Let it cool.
- On an oiled surface, flatten a ball with your palm then stretch it with your fingertips into a translucent 35 cm square.
- Spoon 2 tbsp of filling into the middle and fold the four sides over to close it.
- Cook on a hot oiled griddle for 3 minutes a side, until golden blisters form. Serve hot.
The stretch works once the dough has rested under oil: the semolina grains swell and the gluten relaxes. If it tears, give it another 10 minutes rather than forcing it.
