Algerian · main

Chakhchoukha

Name: Chakhchoukha
Prep time: 2 h 22 min
Total time: 2 h 54 min
Cuisine: Algerian
Ingredients: semolina — 400 g; all-purpose flour — 150 g; salt — 5 g; water — 300 g; vegetable oil — 55 g; lamb shoulder roast — 700 g; olive oil — 41 g; onion — 110 g; tomato paste — 30 g; tomatoes — 350 g; chickpeas — 200 g; ground cinnamon — 5 g; sweet paprika — 10 g; ras el hanout — 5 g; salt — 5 g; water — 1000 g

Chakhchoukha reads umami 7.3, richness 7.3 and salinity 4.5 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Algerian main, about 2 hr 54 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 7.9 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 3.1 / 10
Sour & Bright — 2.5 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 2.6 / 10
Rich & Fat — 7.9 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 3.2 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 7.3 · Richness 7.3 · Salinity 4.5 · Allium 2.9 · Sweetness 2.4 · Earthy 2.4 · Sourness 2.3 · Nutty 2.2 · Fruity 2.1 · Warm Spice 2.0 · Bitterness 1.3 · Funk & Ferment 1.3 · Herbaceous 1.3 · Floral 0.7 · Citrus 0.5

What's in it (16)

semolina — 400 g
all-purpose flour — 150 g
salt — 5 g
water — 300 g
vegetable oil — 55 g
lamb shoulder roast — 700 g
olive oil — 41 g
onion — 110 g
tomato paste — 30 g
tomatoes — 350 g
chickpeas — 200 g
ground cinnamon — 5 g
sweet paprika — 10 g
ras el hanout — 5 g
salt — 5 g
water — 1000 g

Time & effort: about 2 hr 54 min (2 hr 22 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 157.4 kcal, 8.2 g protein, 6.2 g fat, 16.8 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (9 steps)

Knead the semolina, flour, dough salt and warm water together for 12 minutes to a very soft, elastic dough, then rest it 30 minutes under a cloth.
Oil your hands and the work surface, tear the dough into eight balls and stretch each one out paper-thin, then cook it 2 minutes a side on a hot dry griddle. These are rougag - the thin unleavened breads Algeria makes and neither Morocco nor Tunisia treats the same way. Algeria's Ottoman and Andalusian pasta tradition is what this dish rests on.
Tear the cooled breads by hand into rough 3 cm pieces and set them aside.
For the marqa, heat the olive oil in a heavy pot and brown the lamb 8 minutes over high heat.
Add the onion and cook 6 minutes over medium heat until soft.
Stir in the tomato paste, cinnamon, paprika and ras el hanout and fry 2 minutes.
Add the grated tomatoes, the water and the drained soaked chickpeas, bring to a simmer and cook 90 minutes over low heat, until the lamb is tender and the chickpeas soft. Season with the salt.
Put the torn bread in a colander or couscoussier basket and steam it 10 minutes over the simmering sauce, so it softens in the sauce's own vapour.
Toss the steamed bread with about half the sauce until it has drunk it up, mound it on a platter and pour the rest of the marqa with the lamb and chickpeas over the top.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Bazin — Libyan
Sunday Sauce with Braised Meatballs — Italian-American
Beef and Ricotta Meatball Bake with Garlic Toast — Italian-American
Meatball Subs with Melted Provolone — Italian-American
Lamb Ragu over Pappardelle — Italian-American

Keep reading: what umami, richness, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.