Bsissa

The Method for Bsissa

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1. Toast the pearl barley in a dry pan over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often, until it is a deep nut brown and smells like toast. Tip out.

   Mark done Start 10 min timer

2. Toast the dried chickpeas the same way for 8 minutes, until they colour and crack. Tip out.

   Mark done Start 8 min timer

3. Toast the fennel, coriander and aniseed together for 90 seconds, until fragrant.

   Mark done Start 90 sec timer

4. Let everything cool completely, then grind in batches to a fine flour in a spice grinder or high-powered blender.

   Mark done

5. Sieve the flour and re-grind anything coarse. Stir in the salt.

   Mark done

6. To serve, whisk 3 tbsp of the flour with the olive oil and honey (or date syrup) into a smooth paste.

   Mark done

7. Add the water or milk gradually, whisking, until it is the consistency of thin porridge. It thickens as it stands, so leave it looser than you want it.

   Mark done

Related guides: Prep, cook and total time · Ingredient substitutions.

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Things to Watch For

1. Roast everything separately and take the barley properly dark.
2. Cool before grinding, or the flour steams and clumps.
3. It thickens for several minutes after mixing.

About This Recipe

Everything is roasted before grinding and that is where the entire flavour lives — raw flours give a pasty, faintly bitter mix that no amount of oil or honey will rescue. Roast the grains and seeds separately, since they colour at different rates, and take the barley to a proper nut brown rather than pale gold. Once mixed with liquid it thickens for several minutes, so it is made looser than it should end up.

What to Serve It With

Dates · Sweet mint tea · Fresh figs

Storing Leftovers

The dry flour keeps in an airtight jar for 3 months. Mixed, it must be drunk within the hour.

Quick Answers

Nutrition per Serving

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.

Vegan when served with date syrup rather than honey and served with water rather than milk. Dairy-free when served with water rather than milk.

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