Melwi, traditional Moroccon bread with chicken and vegetable filling

The Moroccon name for this bread pocket* is, Ra'ife or, Melwi. Melwi, is a Moroccon style bread. It is usually prepared during the Islamic holy month of fasting called, Ramadan. It is typically served at every dinner setting to be eaten whole, or together with other dishes. You can prepare them plain or stuffed with chicken, beef or vegetabes. For this recipe, Khadija has prepared chicken melwi.

*It resembles more of a pancake in the end

Ingredients

Filling

2 pieces of chicken breast, chopped into small cubes

2 large onions, chopped small

2 bell peppers, chopped into small cubes

2 large ripe tomatoes, chopped into small cubes

About 5 cm piece of ginger, finely chopped

4 tbsp vegetable oi

Spices

1 tspn chili powder

1 tspn cumin powder

1 tspn paprika

2 small green chillies, chopped small

1 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped

*If you have powdered saffron, use 1/2 tspn

or, a few strands. If not, use 1/2 tspn turmeric

1 tspn salt

1 chicken bouillon cube

1. Put oil, onions and chicken in a deep pan on medium heat until onions and chicken are cooked.

2. Add salt, chopped red peppers, tomatoes, ginger, chicken bouillon (dry, sprinkle on top) and spices, stir and cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat.

3. Set aside to cool.

Now, you can start preparing the dough:

Ingredients for dough

900 g. plain flour

350 g. fine semolina flour

600 ml warm water

1 1/2 tspn of salt

2 tbsp of melted butter

1/4 cup of vegetable oil

1. Mix flour and salt together.

2. Mix warm water and knead until you have a solid dough.

3. Cover in plastic foil for 10 minutes, placing a kitchen towel on top.

-

4. Break off into small balls, approximately 16 balls.

5. Melt Butter and vegetable oil, mix.

6. Baste balls in butter and vegetable oil mix.

7. cover basted balls with plastic foil for another 10 minutes.

-

8. Flatten one ball into a pizza shape.

9. Add approximately 2 full tbspn's of filling and fold close.

10. Wrap this into a second ball that has been flattened into a pizza shape.

11. Continue with the rest until complete. You should have 8 pockets when complete.

(note: you can also prepare these with just one dough ball layer, if you want. Then, batter yields 16 pockets.)

12. Sprinkle with extra semolina

13. Flatten into approximately 5" x 5" pancakes, or similar.

14. Fry in griddle pan, or frying pan, until brown on both sides.

You will have 8 servings. You can place leftovers in the fridge and re-heat the next day as yummy leftovers.