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.
