Moroccan Stuffed Msemen with cheese (Moroccan quessadia)
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 3 1/2 cups 440 grams all-purpose flour, more as needed
- 1/2 cup 90 grams fine semolina
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 pinch yeast optional
- 1/2 cup warm water more if needed
Stuffing:
- Soft cheese
For making and cooking the Msemen:
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup fine semolina
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
For serving the msemen:
- Salted butter honey, or jam, for serving
Instructions
- HOW TO MAKE THE DOUGH
- Combine all the dough ingredients in a large bowl
- Add the warm water and mix to form a dough. Add more water, if necessary, to make a dough that is soft and easy to knead but not sticky. If the dough is too sticky to handle, add a little flour.
- If you don’t want to knead the dough, put it in a plastic bag in the fridge for 30min or even overnight without yeast.
- Knead the dough by hand or in a standing machine until it is very smooth and elastic.
- Cover with a cling film and leave to relax for about 10min.
- HOW TO MAKE MSEMEN
- Mix the oil, butter, and baking powder well.
- On a clean oily working surface, remove the air from the dough.
- Keeping your hands and the dough well-oiled, divide the dough into little balls; this will give the desired size of your msemen. Or make four big balls.
- Place the balls of dough on an oiled surface tray. Please make sure that it is oiled so it doesn’t stick or dry out.
- Cover the dough loosely with plastic while you work.
- Rest the dough for 10 minutes, so it is easy to make it flat.
HOW TO BAKE IT:
- first, mix well the soft butter, flour, baking powder, and half of the oil and put aside.
- On an oiled working surface, flatten and spread the dough into a very thin layer circle without breaking it. A small hole or two is okay.
- Spread a dot of the butter mixture on the whole circle and sprinkle it with a bit of semolina to separate the layers when we get the final result.
- For big balls, cut the big circle into four or 6 on almost square
- For the small balls, use it is.
- Fold one side of the dough into the center.
- Fold the opposite side into the center.
- Fold also the other side to the center
- And Fold the opposite end of the dough to the center to get a square and rest it for 5min.
- Flatten the square a bit and put the cheese mixture in the center
- Fold each angle to the middle and set to rest for 5min.
- Here, you can choose to leave it like this or to double wrap.
- To double wrapping
- On a Flatten dough put the stuffed square in the center after brushing the butter mixture and sprinkling the semolina.
- Fold the circle into a square and put it to rest.
- Place the squares and do the same of the others until you finished all of the dough
- HOW TO COOK IN A SKILLET ON A STOVE
- Heat a frying pan or a skillet over medium to medium-high heat.
- Flatten up each square with the palm of your hand about 1cm in thickness.
- Place the msemen in the pan,
- turning over several times, until golden brown and inflate.
- Cooking should take 5 minutes.
- Remove cooked msemen to a rack to cool as you fry the remaining msemen.
- HOW TO BAKE IT
- Preheat the oven on 180 degrees mode fan or up and down.
- Place the cooking paper on the oven tray
- Place the squares and flatten a little bit thicker, about 1.5cm
- Cook it till it gets golden brown
- Bon Appetit!
Video
Nutrition
Msemen is a flattened square-shaped flaky and crispy quesadilla or pancake. Instead of rolling up the dough and making flat circles, making the dough into square shapes.
The dough is made with a combination of flour and very fine semolina to give texture and fluffiness to the Msemen.
Storage:
Msemen can be placed in the freezer and reheated in minutes, either in a pan, oven, or toaster.
Morocco
Msemen is mainly square, and when it is round, it is called “Meloui,” and when it is dip fried is “Rghaif,” which is commonly served for breakfast or the afternoon snack, served plain with honey and butter or stuffed with veggies, cheese or meat. It can be cooked in the oven or pan over the stove.
India
Roti paratha is round flaky bread that is ubiquitous bread for breakfast or accompanied with curries or dhal for lunch.
Roti paratha can be served plain or stuffed with potato, and we call it “aloo paratha” or with any other filling.
Malaysia
Roti Canai which almost similar to the Indian one.
Msemen is best eaten hot or warm.
Optional Stuffing
Mash potatoes with green garlic and cheese
Veggies: sauteed onion, peppers, parsley with olive oil, salt, chili, and paprika.
Sauteed minced meat with onion
Almond: blanched chopped almond with butter, orange blossom, and cinnamon
Substitutes
The msemen can be plain without any stuffing
You may use any cheese you prefer or a mixture of cheese
Now you know how to make Morrocan Stuffed Msemen Would you like to try cooking it?