This is one of the few dessert recipes you’ll find on my website, because it is special to me.
If you’re American, pancakes must have been a cherished item of your childhood. If you’re French, it’s the same with crêpes.
Msemen are your Arabic equivalent for crêpes. I remember having them at least once a year during the Ramadan period. You can eat the savoury version, but my family favoured the sweet version, served around one hour after dinner, with a generous pouring of mixed honey and butter.
Traditional mint tea is a mandatory accompaniement for this one. It all makes for an oriental medley of sensations : the crispy yet soft msmen, with all its layers of dough, all moist with the honey mixture ; the sugary tea with a slight bitterness from the mint : those are definite Madeleines de Proust for me.
Even if they were less frequently found at my childhood household, I also absolutely adore the salty versions of these Msemens -also called Mhajebs. Two fillings are traditional : the tomato-onion one, and the kefta one. Don’t underestimate the veggie version ! It’s probably one of the most widely found, and for good reason. I’ll soon post recipes for the both of them.
Honey Msemen – Recipe
Ingredients – Advice & key points
- What makes or break your msmen if how long you knead it. It needs to go from a quite sticky dough to an elastic, supple and not sticky one.
- Try to spend a good 15/20 minutes on this step !
- If using a food processor in kneading mode, let it knead 10 minutes.
- The other main requirement for a nice msmen is to let it rest at least 1 hour. The longer, the better ! Yes, this is not your typical weeknight recipe ; I recommend making them over the weekend.
- Simple mistakes to avoid regarding your dough’s chemistry :
- Don’t skip the sugar, as it helps in the baking powders’ raising process.
- Also, remember to add lukewarm water to your dough (not warm, nor cold).
Cooking & Serving your Honey Msemen
- Msemen are quite quick to cook ; use a hot pan -ideally heavy, but a nonstick one works great, too- and pan-fry ~2 minutes per side !
- My mom always served those Msemen with a mix of honey and butter, quickly heated up in a small pot ; use the microwave oven if you prefer.
- As for the leftovers policy :
- If you made too much with honey already poured on top, it’s fine ! Simply reheat them in the microwave the next day, 30 seconds per msemen. It will be slightly less moist and less crunchy (the dough absorbs the honey mixture overnight), but still very nice.
- For your plain msemens, the best policy is to put any leftover into your freezer. To reheat it, simply let it thaw or reheat straight into your skillet.
Honey Msemen
Description
Your Arabic equivalent for crepes, with a bit more hardwork to get this crispy on the outside / soft on the inside texture.
Ingredients
For the dough
For the Msemen assembly
For the Honey-Butter mix
Instructions
Form balls
To a large bowl, add flour, extra-fine semolina, sugar, salt, baking powder. Mix it together.
Add lukewarm water progressively until the dough holds itself together and becomes homogenous.
Knead around 15/20mn until smooth, elastic/supple and no more sticky.
Let it rest in a bowl, covered with cling film, at least 1h.
Shape Msemens
Form balls the size of a mandarin.
Melt your butter in a bowl and add oil. Add baking powder & mix.
Fill another bowl with semolina.
On an oiled surface, flatten a first ball of dough with your oiled hand, until very thin & transparent.
Add a pinch of semolina.
Fold the top part towards the middle. Add semolina ; & spread a bit of oil.
Fold the bottom part. Repeat the semolina & oil process.
Repeat the process with the left part, then the right part.
Repeat the process for each ball. Place them all on an oiled surface, covered with cling film, until you’re done.
The oilier your hands are, the easier it’ll be to flatten and spread the dough.Cook it !
Heat up a heavy pan with oil & butter, on medium-high.
Before adding your msemen, flatten it a bit to make it larger. Flatten it once on the pan, too.
Cook around 2mn per side, flipping it twice or thrice.
Cover with a clean kitchen towel once done.
Repeat the process, adding oil as needed.
Douse your msemen with a mixture of honey & butter, heated up in a pan or in the microwave until the butter melts.
Et voilà !! You're done !