In one of my previous blog posts, I explained what some typical Moroccan dishes were.
Last sunday, one of my friends invited me to his house to learn how to make Seffa. I came back and told my host family, and they immediately insisted that I make it for them the next weekend. So this morning I woke up around 8 am (the earliest I've woken up on a sunday since being here) and proceeded to make Seffa with my host mom.
What you will need:
Double Boiler
Seffa noodles (angle hair but smaller in length)
Raisins
Powdered Sugar
Regular sugar (to mix with the almonds when you crush them)
Cinnamon
Oil (vegetable oil works)
Almonds
Patience
A big appetite
First off, we took the sharia(not the law, the noodles) out of the plastic mika (bag). They are similar to Angle's hair pasta, except a lot shorter. Then I put them in a tajine bottom and smothered them in good ol; vegetable oil. This was to make sure that they wouldn't stick together during the cooking process. As I was doing this, my host mom took the double boiler and filled the bottom with water, setting it on the fire waiting for a boil. She then handed me the top part, and I filled it to the top with sharia. I put that on the top of the double boiler, and put a "belt" (in my host mom's terms) around it (which was essentially a plastic bag rolled up to make sure none of the steam gets out).
We let that cook for about 30 minutes. When it was done, I took the top part off the fire and set the whole thing in a big bowl in the tajine bottom. Then we took the water we used to steam the noodles and poured it on top of the sharia. Then we took the sharia and put it back on the double boiler, pouring the water we had just used to kinda rinse it back into the double boiler. Then we dumped out the noodles into the tajine bottom, and proceeded to "open" them (essentially you have to sift through it with your fingers until they are all separated, or until a Moroccan tells you that you are done.)
After this, back in the double boiler and back on the fire they go!! As we waited for the second cooking, I was put in charge of shelling the almonds (which first we put in water over the fire until the almonds made their way to the top) and then crushing them with sugar. This will serve as a condiment for the Seffa. After this was done, we took the Seffa off the fire, dumped it into the tajine bottom, put about a cup of room temperature water on it as we sifted through it. Continue to sift, add the raisins that you let sit in a cup of room temperature water, then but back into the double boiler to cook for a third time. Now we're waiting for it to finish cooking, for the third time.
After cooking it for a third time, the time is determined by tasting the actual Seffa, you put the completely cooked seffa and raisins into the plate you want to serve it in, add the crushed almonds and continue making into a triangular shaped Seffa mountain. On top of the mountain you add lines of powdered sugar and cinnamon that the eaters will then use to make their Seffa even tastier. For allergy reasons, the cinnamon was left up to our own discretion.
Enjoy!
There are many different ways to cook it, so far I have heard you must cook it seven times, and then I heard from two separate Moroccan women that you must cook it three times. In the future I will be going with three times because I don't know how to cook it seven times..so yea.
Also, you usually make Seffa with chicken. Although I do not know how to make the chicken, which is why I didn't add it in this recipe. Any slow cooked chicken with spices and onions usually works, although you might want chicken that is on the sweeter side since Seffa is a sweet dish.
Anyways, hope you enjoyed reading this! I know I enjoyed making and eating the Seffa :D
Until next time~
Last sunday, one of my friends invited me to his house to learn how to make Seffa. I came back and told my host family, and they immediately insisted that I make it for them the next weekend. So this morning I woke up around 8 am (the earliest I've woken up on a sunday since being here) and proceeded to make Seffa with my host mom.
What you will need:
Double Boiler
Seffa noodles (angle hair but smaller in length)
Raisins
Powdered Sugar
Regular sugar (to mix with the almonds when you crush them)
Cinnamon
Oil (vegetable oil works)
Almonds
Patience
A big appetite
First off, we took the sharia(not the law, the noodles) out of the plastic mika (bag). They are similar to Angle's hair pasta, except a lot shorter. Then I put them in a tajine bottom and smothered them in good ol; vegetable oil. This was to make sure that they wouldn't stick together during the cooking process. As I was doing this, my host mom took the double boiler and filled the bottom with water, setting it on the fire waiting for a boil. She then handed me the top part, and I filled it to the top with sharia. I put that on the top of the double boiler, and put a "belt" (in my host mom's terms) around it (which was essentially a plastic bag rolled up to make sure none of the steam gets out).
We let that cook for about 30 minutes. When it was done, I took the top part off the fire and set the whole thing in a big bowl in the tajine bottom. Then we took the water we used to steam the noodles and poured it on top of the sharia. Then we took the sharia and put it back on the double boiler, pouring the water we had just used to kinda rinse it back into the double boiler. Then we dumped out the noodles into the tajine bottom, and proceeded to "open" them (essentially you have to sift through it with your fingers until they are all separated, or until a Moroccan tells you that you are done.)
After this, back in the double boiler and back on the fire they go!! As we waited for the second cooking, I was put in charge of shelling the almonds (which first we put in water over the fire until the almonds made their way to the top) and then crushing them with sugar. This will serve as a condiment for the Seffa. After this was done, we took the Seffa off the fire, dumped it into the tajine bottom, put about a cup of room temperature water on it as we sifted through it. Continue to sift, add the raisins that you let sit in a cup of room temperature water, then but back into the double boiler to cook for a third time. Now we're waiting for it to finish cooking, for the third time.
After cooking it for a third time, the time is determined by tasting the actual Seffa, you put the completely cooked seffa and raisins into the plate you want to serve it in, add the crushed almonds and continue making into a triangular shaped Seffa mountain. On top of the mountain you add lines of powdered sugar and cinnamon that the eaters will then use to make their Seffa even tastier. For allergy reasons, the cinnamon was left up to our own discretion.
Enjoy!
That is me with the Seffa. It was super yummy.
There are many different ways to cook it, so far I have heard you must cook it seven times, and then I heard from two separate Moroccan women that you must cook it three times. In the future I will be going with three times because I don't know how to cook it seven times..so yea.
Also, you usually make Seffa with chicken. Although I do not know how to make the chicken, which is why I didn't add it in this recipe. Any slow cooked chicken with spices and onions usually works, although you might want chicken that is on the sweeter side since Seffa is a sweet dish.
Anyways, hope you enjoyed reading this! I know I enjoyed making and eating the Seffa :D
Until next time~
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