Chebakia — Moroccan Sesame Pastries
Rose-shaped Moroccan sesame pastries, fried crisp then steeped in warm honey and orange blossom — the taste of Ramadan.
Method
- Mix the flour, ground sesame, anise, cinnamon, turmeric and salt in a large bowl. Add the saffron water, yeast mixture, olive oil, melted butter, orange blossom water and vinegar.
- Work in the warm water a little at a time until you have a firm, smooth dough — stiffer than bread dough and not at all sticky. Knead for 10 minutes.
- Cover and rest for 1 hour. The dough should stay firm; this is a pastry dough, not a risen bread dough.
- Roll out a portion very thinly, about 2mm. Cut into rectangles roughly 8cm by 5cm, then make four parallel slits lengthways in each, leaving the ends joined.
- Thread a finger through alternate strips and pinch the corners together, then twist to form the traditional rose shape. Pinch firmly: pastries that open during frying will not hold the syrup.
- Warm the honey with the orange blossom water in a wide pan over low heat until fluid but never boiling, and keep it warm.
- Heat the frying oil to 160 to 165°C — lower than for most frying, so the thick pastry cooks through before it colours.
- Fry in batches for 5 to 7 minutes, turning often, until deep golden brown and crisp all the way through. Pale chebakia will soften within hours.
- Lift the hot pastries straight into the warm honey and leave them to steep for 5 to 7 minutes, turning once, until they stop bubbling and look glazed. Lift out with a slotted spoon, letting excess honey drain, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cool completely before storing.
How to make Chebakia — Moroccan Sesame Pastries
Chebakia is made in large quantities in the weeks before Ramadan, often by several women working together, because the shaping takes time and the pastries keep for weeks. Each evening a few are served alongside harira, their sweetness balancing the savoury soup.
Hot pastry, warm honey
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The exchange that makes chebakia work happens at the moment of contact: pastry straight from the fryer meeting honey held just warm. Hot honey burns and turns bitter, cold honey sits on the surface instead of soaking in. Keep the honey barely warm and the pastries very hot.
Fry low and long
These are thick, twisted pastries. At 160 to 165°C they cook through to the centre as they colour, which is what gives the lasting crunch. Hotter oil produces a dark outside and a soft, doughy middle that collapses once the honey goes on.
Shaping
The rose shape takes practice, and the first few will look rough. What matters is pinching the corners firmly so the pastry holds together. Many families use a small cutting wheel and make a dozen at a time before frying.
Storage
Once fully cooled, chebakia keep for up to a month in an airtight tin. Do not refrigerate: the honey stiffens and the pastry loses its crispness.
Traditional Moroccan confectionery, prepared in large batches before Ramadan and served with harira. Editorially researched from widely documented preparations, and not kitchen-tested by Axadle.
Contains gluten from wheat flour, sesame seeds and tree nuts if almonds are added. Contains dairy if butter is used; many versions use oil only.
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