The best way to describe these beans is a spicier version of English baked beans! Haricot beans are cooked in a tomato sauce flavoured with lots of garlic, cumin & paprika. This recipe is for the way I cook it most – the slow cook way – but you can make it easily in a pressure cooker; just reduce the water to a total of 2 litres, add a chicken stock cube & take care with the seasoning. It should only take 45-50 mins in the pressure cooker. If you have any Algerian hot green peppers, this is really nice with 1-2 thrown in half way through! N.B: Time to make doesn’t include overnight soaking of the beans.
This is a traditional family recipe for M’shewsha. M’shewsha is a delicious Algerian dish made with lots of eggs, a little semolina & a little flour. You pour warm honey over it & allow it to soak in……..delicious! M’shewsha can be enjoyed for breakfast or with afternoon coffee – it tastes like a cross between a fluffy pancake & French toast! Traditional, it is thought to give you a lot of strength – manual labourers eat it often, as do women who’ve just had a baby! This is also great for Suhor during Ramadan – yum!
Garantita is one of the most famous dishes in Algeria. It is made in every home & is a very popular ‘fast food’. Traditionally, it is cooked until just firm around the edges, golden on top & nice and squishy in the middle (a BIT like souffle), then sliced (with difficulty!) & placed in a baguette with harissa. Chickpea flour is readily available in all Indian grocers (also known as Besan) or in Middle Eastern grocers. You can also make your own by grinding dry chick peas. This is our much requested family recipe……
There are many, many versions of Basboussa ( and many spelling variations!) throughout the Arab world. Some of these are a spongy cake-like texture & some are more of a grainy texture. This Algerian version is more of a cake-like texture – which happens to be my favourite. I absolutely love the addition of coconut in the recipe, it really adds something to the Basboussa. This recipe is extremely simple to make & is delicious served with coffee or tea. It is definitely a Ramadan staple in our home!
I am not sure if that is how you spell it! I saw the recipe in “The Great Book of Couscous” and they called it Karantika. This is popular in Algeria (and made in my house a few times per week). It is best served sliced with bread and a bit of harissa or on crackers. Baking time can be decreased to make a mushier version. A food processor is used to make sure you get a smooth combination of ingredients. Chick pea flour can be found in Indian Grocery Stores. It is called “Besan”.
