Moroccan Cuisine: a Recipe for Rghayef with Honey (pancake)

Fes – Rghayef are square-shaped Moroccan pancake like Moroccan “Msemen” or “Mlawi”. They are dough-based and take quite considerable time to be prepared in the traditional way. Generally, Rghayef are prepared for breakfast and sometimes as an evening snack. They always go with Moroccan tea, but some people would serve it with milk-coffee.

Moroccans prepare Rghayef differently. Some people stuff them with spicy herbs while others prefer to sweeten them by honey or jam. Rghayef can be purchased at restaurants or nearby cafes.

It is very common to see women in early mornings or at evenings near cafes preparing Rghayef and other traditional Moroccan pastry like Sfenj, Harsha and Msemen. Workers usually leave their homes for work with empty stomach because they can buy fresh pastry and head to their preferable café to enjoy their breakfast with their friends.

Ingredients:

500g white flour.

1 egg.

2 tbsp soft  butter.

2 tbsp sugar.

1 baking powder.

1 tbsp ground anise seeds.

½ tsp salt.

Warm water.

1 tsp vanilla sugar.

Oil for frying.

For garnish:

Honey.

Sesame.

 Way of preparation:

1. In a bowl put flour, salt, ground anise seeds, vanilla, baking powder and mix.
2. Add butter and rub with hands until there is no butter left, then, add egg and water little by little to form a soft dough.
3. Knead well for 5 to 10 minutes and cover the dough and let it rest for half an hour.
4.  Use a large plastic tray so as not to have the dough stuck on the surface, spread some oil on it.
5. Keep your hands and the dough well-oiled and grasp a large portion of dough and squeeze off a ball between your thumb and forefinger to form small balls in the size of an apricot.
6. Put the balls on an oiled tray. To keep the balls in good conditions, spread oil on them, and cover them loosely with plastic so as not to be dry.
7. Set aside the balls for few minutes before working with them.
8. Take a ball, dip it in oil, and flatten the balls to make very thin discs.
9. Fold the edges of the discs into the centre to make a square, and place them aside on an oiled surface.
10. Heat oil in a frying deep pan or an iron skillet over medium high heat.
11. Work on every square of dough separately by patting it with your fingers or palm of your hand to extend to nearly double size.
12. Fry Rghayef in hot oil one by one until they are grilled.
13. Do the same for all balls.
14. Put the fried Rghayef on a paper to drain oil and place them in a plate then sprinkle some honey on them and put some sesame or almonds flakes.

Serve hot with tea in breakfast or for evening snack.

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