Eid treat: Moroccan chef Nargisse Benkabbou’s chocolate chip krachel

Chocolate chip krachel. Supplied
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Updated 12 May 2021
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Eid treat: Moroccan chef Nargisse Benkabbou’s chocolate chip krachel

DUBAI: Moroccan chef Nargisse Benkabbou is on a mission to demystify her country’s cuisine for international foodies, especially those in the UK where she lives.

Here, she shares her recipe for chocolate chip krachel to sweeten up your Eid Al-Fitr celebrations.

Ingredients:

60g unsalted butter

2 ½ tbsp sesame seeds

2 tsp dried active yeast

50g caster sugar

1 tbsp warm water

300g plain flour, plus extra if needed and for dusting

1 tsp aniseed

½ tsp salt

1 egg

80–120ml warm full-fat milk

1 ½ tbsp orange blossom water

100g dark chocolate chips or chunks

Vegetable oil

1 egg yolk, beaten

 

Instructions:

1.      Melt the butter, then leave it to cool. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan over a medium-high heat for about 6 minutes.

2.      In a small bowl, mix the dried yeast with 1⁄4 teaspoon of the sugar and the measured warm water using a fork. Leave the yeast to activate for about 5 minutes.

3.      Mix 2 tablespoons of the toasted sesame seeds, the remaining sugar, the flour, aniseed and salt together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the melted butter, yeast mixture, egg, 80ml warm milk and the orange blossom water together until smooth. Combine both bowls and mix to form a soft dough.

4.      Lightly dust a work surface with flour and knead the dough for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic and add the chocolate chips. Form the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with cling film and leave to rise for about 45 minutes or until it almost doubles in size.

5.      Divide the dough into 8 equal-sized pieces and shape each into a ball. Place them on a baking sheet, leaving about 5cm between each ball. Cover with cling film and leave the buns to rise for about 30 minutes.

6.      Preheat the oven to 190°C. Brush the buns with the beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with the remaining toasted sesame seeds. Bake for about 17–20 minutes.


Writers boycott Adelaide Festival after Randa Abdel-Fattah is dropped

Updated 09 January 2026
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Writers boycott Adelaide Festival after Randa Abdel-Fattah is dropped

DUBAI: A wave of writers have withdrawn from the Adelaide Festival’s Writers’ Week, prompting organizers to take down a section of the event’s website as the backlash continues over the removal of Palestinian Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah from the 2026 program.

The festival confirmed on Friday that it had temporarily removed the online schedule listing authors, journalists, academics and commentators after participants began pulling out in protest of the board’s decision, which cited “cultural sensitivity” concerns following the Bondi terror attack.

In a statement posted online, the festival said the listings had been unpublished while changes were made to reflect the growing number of withdrawals.

By Friday afternoon, 47 speakers had already exited the program, with more believed to be coordinating their departures with fellow writers.

High-profile figures stepping away include Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper, Sarah Krasnostein, Miles Franklin Prize winner Michelle de Kretser, Drusilla Modjeska, Melissa Lucashenko and Stella Prize-winning poet Evelyn Araluen.

Best-selling novelist Trent Dalton also withdrew from the event. He had been scheduled to deliver a paid keynote at Adelaide Town Hall, one of the few Writers’ Week sessions requiring a ticket.