Moroccan Cuisine: Recipe for stuffed Msemen

Taroudant – Stuffed Msemen is a square-shaped Moroccan pancake known also to some Moroccans as Rghaif or Mlawi. It is very famous as breakfast essential in Moroccan cuisine.

They are dough-based and take quite considerable time to be prepared in the traditional way. Generally, Msemen is prepared for breakfast and sometimes as an evening snack.

It may be sweetened by honey or jam for those who would like it sweet, but in different regions of Morocco, people stuff it with vegetables and spicy herbs. Msemen Maamer, (Stuffed msemen) is just like the regular Msemen but the latter is filled with spicy herbs, vegetables and sometimes ground meat.

It always goes with Moroccan tea, but some people would serve it with milk-coffee.

Ingredients:

• 500g flour
• 200g fine semolina
• 2 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp  yeast
• 1.5 cups warm water.

¼  cup soft butter for folding mesmen.

How to prepare stuff Mesemen in Moroccan cuisine?

 200g ground meat.

1 chopped onion.

one green pepper cut into small pieces.

1 red pepper cut into small pieces.

a grated carrot.

1 tbsp chopped parsley.

1tsp salt, 1 tsp cumin and 1 tsp paprika.

½ tsp black pepper or cayenne.

3 tbsp oil.

Way of preparation:

For the stuff

In a pan, put oil, onion, carrot, peppers and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add ground meat, parsley, spices and cook for another 20 minutes or until the ingredients are cooked.

Let the stuff cool.

How to prepare the dough for Stuffed Msemen?

1. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, gradually adding water while kneading. Add more water when necessary just to make cohesive dough, for 10 minutes (or knead the dough in a stand mixer for 5 minutes), until the dough is very cohesive and soft.
2. Prepare a large, smooth surface for working with the dough. A large plastic tray is very useful. So as not to have the dough stuck on the surface, spread some oil on it.
3. 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 of nearly equal size.
4. 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.
5. Set aside the balls for few minutes before working on them .
6. Take a ball, dip it in oil, and flatten the balls to make very thin discs.
7. Grease the discs with butter and then put 1 tbsp of the stuff in the middle.
8. Fold the edges of the discs into the center to make a square, and place them aside on an oiled surface.
9. Heat a frying pan or an iron skillet over medium high heat.
10. Work on every square of dough separately by patting it with your fingers or palm of your hand to extend to nearly double size.
11. Place the stuffed Msemen in the pan and fry it. Also, Flip it regularly until the two sides are well cooked.
12. Repeat the same procedure for all the rest.

Serve hot with tea in breakfast or for evening snack.