Berkoukes

Method

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1. Put the semolina in a wide shallow bowl. Sprinkle a very little water over it and rake it in circles with your fingers so it begins to clump into small pearls.

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2. Keep sprinkling and raking until you have pearls roughly the size of peppercorns. Toss them with the 2 tbsp oil and set aside.

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3. Brown the lamb in 4 tbsp oil for 8 minutes, add the onions and cook 8 minutes more.

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4. Stir in the tomato purée and harissa and fry 2 minutes until the oil runs red.

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5. Add the caraway, coriander, salt, carrots and water and simmer covered 45 minutes.

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6. Add the chickpeas, courgette and the semolina pearls and simmer uncovered 12 minutes, stirring so they do not clump, until tender and the broth has thickened.

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7. Off the heat, stir in the parsley and lemon juice and serve.

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Chef’s Tips

• Water slowly, a sprinkle at a time. Too much makes lumps.
• Cook the pearls in the broth so their starch thickens it.
• Shop-bought pearls need about four minutes less.

Pairing Suggestions

• Harissa
• Khobz tabouna
• Slata tounsia

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerated for 3 days and it thickens a great deal. Loosen generously with water.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.