Moroccan cuisine · Desserts & Sweets

Halwa Rhifa

Hand-pulled, paper-thin sheets of dough tossed with browned butter, honey and toasted almonds.

Ingredients · for 6 servings

• 400 g flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 220 ml lukewarm water
• 100 ml olive oil
• 150 g butter
• 250 g honey
• 150 g almonds
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp orange blossom water

Instructions

1. Knead flour and salt with the lukewarm water for 10 min. into a very soft, elastic dough, divide into eight balls, rub with oil and let rest covered for 30 min.
2. Stretch each ball paper-thin on the oiled work surface with the palms of your hands until the dough is almost translucent, and stack the sheets loosely on top of each other.
3. Cook the dough sheets in a dry pan over medium heat for 1–2 min. per side until dry and lightly speckled — they should not brown.
4. Tear the cooled sheets into thumb-sized pieces with your hands and collect them in a wide bowl.
5. Toast the almonds in the pan for 3–4 min., roughly chop them; brown the butter in the same pot for 2 min. until nutty-smelling, and dissolve the honey in it.
6. Mix the torn dough, honey butter, almonds, cinnamon and orange blossom water thoroughly and pile the rhifa lukewarm into bowls.