Chebakia

Name: Chebakia
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 1 serving
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 100 g plain flour; 25 g sesame seeds; 15 g ground almonds; 15 g unsalted butter; 0.5 tsp anise seeds; 0.25 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 pinch saffron threads; 0.5 tsp fast-action dried yeast; 1 pinch fine salt; 1 tsp white vinegar; 1 tsp orange blossom water; 35 ml warm water; 100 g honey; 1 tsp orange blossom water; 1 tsp sesame seeds; 500 ml sunflower oil

Moroccan sesame and anise pastries, folded into little roses, deep-fried until crisp and then steeped in warm orange blossom honey. A Ramadan classic, eaten alongside harira.

Snacks Mains Vegetarian 8g+ fibre

70 min45 prep · 25 cookHard1472 kcalper serving

Instructions

Dry-toast 25 g of sesame seeds in a small frying pan over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, shaking constantly, until they are golden and smell nutty. Cool for a few minutes, then grind in a spice grinder or heavy mortar to a coarse, slightly oily powder, this is what gives chebakia its colour and flavour.
In a mixing bowl combine the ground sesame with 15 g of ground almonds, 100 g of plain flour, 0.5 tsp of ground anise seeds, 0.25 tsp of ground cinnamon, 1 pinch of crushed saffron, 0.5 tsp of dried yeast and 1 pinch of fine salt. Pour over 15 g of melted butter and rub through with your fingertips until the mixture looks like damp sand.
Add 1 tsp of white vinegar, 1 tsp of orange blossom water and most of 35 ml of warm water. Bring together and knead firmly on an unfloured surface for 8-10 minutes, adding the last drops of water only if needed: the dough must be smooth, elastic and quite firm, never sticky. Cover with a damp cloth and rest at room temperature for 1 hour.