How to make Griwash

 

Griwash pastry

Griwash is a recipe that is so popular mainly in  Algeria and parts of eastern Morocco. It is often prepared during the holy month of Ramadan. It is served coated with honey and garnished with roasted sesame seeds on top. 

Ingredients

500g flour

1 cup grounded sesame

1 cup grounded row almond

1 tbsp grounded fennel

1/2 cup of melted butter

1/2 cup of oil

1 egg, beaten

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp yeast

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup orange blossom water

1/2 tsp cinnamon, saffron, 1/4 tsp mastic gum

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup water 

For the icing

honey

For the topping

1/2 cup sesame seeds

Directions

In a bowl, add beaten egg, pour melted butter and oil, add orange blossom water with saffron, vinegar, sugar with gum, salt, cinnamon, almond, sesame, fennel, baking powder, yeast, water and mix them all together. Mix well while adding flour. Knead thoroughly and leave to rest for about 2 hours. Then form the dough into a French bread loaf. Cut dough into big chunks. Put chunks in a zipper bag so they will not dry out. Flour your workstation, take out one chunk at a time, and spread it for about a cardboard thickness using a rolling pin. Then fold it into a wallet shape and put it back in the zipper bag. Repeat the same for all chunks. 

Now take out one "wallet" at a time and flatten it again but this time much more thinner. Using a pastry wheel, proceed with cutting through into squares about 8 cm (3 inches). Repeat the same until dough wallets are over. Finish cutting each square by making 4 incisions parallel to each other (but should not go through the edges). You should end up with a square that has 5 strips about 1 cm apart.

Instructions on how to shape the Griwesh flower: 

Take one square in the left hand and pass your right palm under strips 1, 3, and 5. These strips are then above your finger and strips 2, and 5 are below independently separated. Now, with the right hand grab the 3 straps together and bring the straps 5 and 1 towards the center in a way that the left straps interlock with the right straps. Now, gently proceed with turning them inside-out to form the flower.

Then, deep fry them over medium heat. Remove from the oil using a slotted spoon and drain.  Drench in honey, drain it and transfer to a serving plate. Sprinkle roasted sesame seeds on top and serve with tea or Harira (soup).

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