This weekend marked Mawlid al-Nabi, the celebration of the Prophet Mohammed’s birthday – a sort of Islamic Christmas. But unlike the Western version of such a fete, where consumerism runs rampant with Black Friday, presents galore and sales fever in the high street, here in Morocco the emphasis is on the less fortunate. It’s a time for giving to charity and for preparing food for those in need, for sharing what you have.
A classic shared meal for Mawlid is Rfissa. It’s one of the most traditional dishes of Berber Morocco, a spiced chicken and lentil dish served with the local unleavened flatbreads, m’smen. The combination of sweet and savoury in the dish is unchanged since early medieval times: dishes similar to this one made their way back to Europe during the time of the Crusades, as returning knights brought back from Syria and Palestine cinnamon and turmeric, ginger and spices to enliven the taste of western cuisine.
You don’t have to serve the chicken and lentils with m’smen – and you can make these delicious Berber pancakes on their own and eat them with honey. So let’s talk about them first!
M’smen are a classic breakfast food here in Morocco. You’ll find them eaten in the markets and in high-class hotels: everyone loves them. And they’re very easy to make.
(makes 8 pancakes)
10 oz plain flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
8 fl oz lukewarm water
Mix the dry ingredients, then add the water little by little until the mixture binds to form a stiff dough. Don’t make it too wet: add more flour if need be.
Knead the dough for 5 minutes until it’s smooth.
Divide the mixture into 8 golfball-sized portions
Oil your hands and oil each little ball.
Heat 1 tbsp of cooking oil in a frying pan.
Take a ball and gently pull and stretch it until it’s as thin as you can get it without pulling holes in it. If you’re dextrous you can get it almost paper-thin. Don’t worry if it’s not even. You should make a rough square of 10cm on each edge.
Fry on a gentle heat, pressing the dough into the pan, then turn till both sides are golden brown and place on a sheet of kitchen paper on a plate in a warm oven.
Serve warm with honey. Bon appetit!
If you’re going to make a traditional Rfissa with a m’smen base, follow these steps:
(For 4-6 people, depending on greed)
One quartered chicken
2 cups (8oz) lentils
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsps cinnamon
2 tsp ginger (or a 2cm stick of fresh grated ginger)
1 tsp ras el hanout
a pinch of saffron
2 tbsps olive oil
1 large onion, sliced thinly
1 tsp smen (fermented butter)
Mix the spices and oil and marinade your chicken pieces in the mixture for at least 4 hours (best overnight in the fridge)
Semi-cook your lentils by simmering for half an hour on a low heat
In a thick-based pan with a lid sweat the sliced onion slices till they begin to caramelize. Put them aside
In the same pan, brown the marinaded chicken. Return the onion slices and about 10 fl oz water and simmer for about 20 minutes
Now add the drained lentils into the pot, add the spoonful of smen if you have it,, or just a small knob of salted butter if not, cook and cover on a very gentle heat for about an hour (making sure it does not dry out)
While the chicken and lentils are cooking, prepare your m’smen as above (and keep them warm in the oven)
Remove all bones from the cooked chicken and shred the meat back into the onion and lentil mix.
Now, the traditional way to serve the Rfissa is to cut the m’smen into slices and to steam them till they’re soft, then lay these out on a big communal dish, add the chicken and lentil mix and gather around to eat with your fingers. But you can also serve the pancakes on the side if you like something with a crisper texture to accompany the dish.
This really is a taste of ancient Morocco. Besseha!
