Rfissa

Chicken and lentils heavy with fenugreek, poured over torn flatbread that is steamed rather than fried.

Chicken. Not vegetarian — contains chicken.

Ingredients

For the broth

• 1 chicken, jointed
• 3 onions, sliced
• 200 g brown or green lentils
• 3 tablespoons fenugreek seed
• 1 tablespoon ras el hanout
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• a generous pinch of saffron
• 100 ml olive oil
• 1 bunch coriander and parsley, tied
• 1.5 litres water
• salt and pepper

To serve

• 6 msemen or stale flatbreads, as on their own page

Method

1. THE FENUGREEK IS SOAKED AND THEN BOILED SEPARATELY, AND THE FIRST WATER IS THROWN AWAY. Three tablespoons is a great deal and raw fenugreek is aggressively bitter -- put straight into the pot it takes over the dish and nothing rescues it. Soaked overnight, boiled ten minutes in plain water and drained, it turns savoury and slightly sweet, and it is the flavour everyone remembers.
2. THE BREAD IS STEAMED OVER THE BROTH, NOT SOAKED IN IT. Torn msemen in the steamer basket for ten minutes goes soft and pliable while staying in pieces. Ladled over with broth in a bowl, it collapses to paste within a minute.
3. AND IT IS ASSEMBLED AT THE LAST MOMENT, at the table, because from then on the clock is running.
4. Fenugreek soaked overnight in cold water.
5. Drained, covered with fresh water, boiled 10 minutes, and drained again. That water is thrown away.
6. Saffron steeped in a little warm water.
7. Oil in a wide pot, onions softened 10 minutes. Ras el hanout, ginger and turmeric stirred in 1 minute.
8. Chicken in with the saffron, herb bundle, salt and pepper, turned to coat.
9. Water in, brought to a simmer, lid on, 30 minutes.
10. Lentils and the blanched fenugreek in. A further 35 to 40 minutes, until the lentils are soft and the chicken is falling apart.
11. The herb bundle lifted out. The broth tasted and adjusted; it should be strongly savoury.
12. Msemen torn into large pieces and steamed over the pot, or in a steamer basket, 10 minutes until soft.
13. The bread spread over a wide platter, the chicken and lentils piled on, and several ladles of hot broth poured over the whole thing.
14. The rest of the broth served in a jug. Eaten at once with the hands.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Morocco · All recipes