Recipe: Shrimp mhencha from Morocco

Fatima learned to cook in her mother’s kitchen, both Moroccan dishes and stamppot. In her second cookbook Uit de keuken van Fatima – elke dag anders, she shares foolproof recipes that are a mix of Moroccan classics like these filo pastry tarts and modern favorites like mac and cheeseballs and a Raffaello cheesecake.

Fatima: “Mhencha is a Moroccan classic made with layers of filo pastry and a chicken or fish filling. This time I went for a spicy shrimp filling with glass noodles. Delicious as a starter or side dish.”

How to make the shrimp mhencha

• Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
• Soften the bell pepper and onion in 4–5 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for another 1–2 minutes.
• Add the coriander, parsley, lemon juice, salt, paprika, harissa spices, turmeric, ground cumin and black pepper.
• Place a pan of water on the stove.
• Add the stock cube and bring the water to a boil.
• Once the water is boiling, add the glass noodles. Stir until the noodles soften.
• Spoon the glass noodles into a colander and leave to drain.
• Cut the glass noodles into pieces and add them, together with the wok shrimp, to the bell pepper and onion mixture in the frying pan.
• Stir in the tomato frito and fry for another 5–6 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and let the fish filling cool completely.
• Preheat the oven to 200 ºC.
• Drizzle a sheet of filo pastry with the melted butter.
• Spread 2 tablespoons of fish filling along the bottom of the filo pastry, leaving the ends clear.
• Roll the filo pastry tightly from the bottom upwards into a long cylinder, and then into a snail shell shape.
• Place the filo pastry on a baking tray lined with baking paper and drizzle lightly with butter once more.
• Prepare the rest of the mhencha in the same way and bake the tarts in the oven for approximately 15–18 minutes until lightly browned and cooked through.

Title: Uit de keuken van Fatima
Author: Fatima El Irari
Price: €20,99
Publisher: Fontaine Uitgevers

Read also:

• Common mistakes when preparing shrimp
• Garlic shrimp with white wine
• Recipe: quick scampi or shrimp pasta by Gordon Ramsay