Berkoukes b'lham

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It's January ... and in some parts of the Algeria .. and the world it's just plain very cold! I read here that January is national soup in the US. I think this is rather fitting after all the excess of December for many people that celebrated Christmas and New Year. Soups are wonderfully easy to prepare, not to mention hearty, warming, filling and most times economical.

Today, I want to present to you all my friends an Algerian dish, too chunky and thick to really be considered a soup - more like a scoup (as Rachael Ray calls them) ... which I'm sure will warm your bones on any cold day!

What is Berkoukes?


Berkoukes also called Aïche or M'hamessa or Abazine in some regions - is a hand-rolled semolina based pasta that is shaped like a little ball, but it is also an Algerian dish.  It is consumed traditionally in Algeria or the North East of Morocco during the winter and mainly in January to celebrate the wealth of the Algerian harvest of beans and dried fruit and meats. It is a dish of rich wealth, comfort and generousity. I know myself, everytime I prepare it, it gives me the feeling of sharing so I send a bowl over to my neighbours. How Berkoukes is prepared slightly varies region to region, differently in 2 main ways. One preparing it in a savoury dish, like I am presenting today or two, in a sweetened version similar to rice pudding. What goes into a savoury Berkoukes meal, really depends on the region. In the areas in Kabylia, dried meats called Quedid or Achadhelouh in Kabyle is added and the dried mutton fat called Khlili and cultured smen gives the Berkoukes of this region is very distinct flavour and charachter. Berkoukes of the Alger region are much more milder in flavour using either chicken or beef or mutton. And the Berkoukes' of the Oran region use the pungent spices of the spice mixture called Ras el Hanout.

This dish is really worth to be discovered because it is user friendly and not complicated to prepare. Of course, there are a multitude of different recipes as I have mentioned above varying slightly region to region, all of which a selection of vegetables, spices and more or less. But the key is to find the Berkoukes to his/her liking, to prepare what we love, more or less liquid, more or less identified following the assessments of each. A taste of course when it is very cold outside, hot, sprinkled with a drizzle of excellent olive oil with a good homemade Kesra/ Khoubz Ft'ir or even a Khoubz Chaïr ...

If you are not blessed enough to know how to traditionally prepare this little pasta or have access to a market which sells it - you can find in grocery stores a similarly looking pasta called 'pellets' or 'anci de pepe' or 'plombs' as a replacement for the authentic Berkoukes.

Berkoukes b'lham

• 500g package of Berkoukes or small ball shaped pasta
• 250g beef cubed
• Handful (about 100g) Quedid diced  ๑۞๑
• 1 large onion, minced
• 2 carrot, diced medium
• 1 courgette, diced medium
• 2-3 garlic, minced
• 1 TBS tomato paste
• 1 large potato, diced medium
• Harissa or dersa (or any hot pepper paste) to taste
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• pinch of ground caraway
• 1 bay leaf
• Half bunch (about 1/4 cup chopped) of chopped parsely and cilantro
• Generous handful or two of green peas
• Handful of precooked chickpeas
• Handful of brown lentils (I use Puy)
• olive oil/oil/smen
•  salt/ black pepper

1. Chop up the vegetable and meat(s)
2. Brown the beef in oil. Once browned add in the aromatics - onions, garlic, carrots to sauté.
3. Push all these ingredients to one side of your pot, add in the tomato paste. Caramelize the tomato paste for a minute or two.
4. Then add in the water - about 2.5L 
5. Now add in the spices, bay leaf, and lentils and Quedid if using  . 
6. Bring to boil, then lower the heat to a low simmer.
7. Once the meat is cooked tender, add in the half the herbs, chickpeas, courgettes, potatoes to cook for an additional 10m.
8. Then add in the peas and berkoukes into the broth.
9. The berkoukes generally will cook in about 15m, but keep a watchful eye on it, as it can easily soak up all the broth then burn. Do not hesitate to stir frequently.
10. Once the berkoukes is quite tender, not al-dente! - stir in the remaining herbs. There should still little thickened broth or really sauce.

Serve hot with bread like a Kesra or any rustic country style bread like Khoubz chaïr  or Khoubz Ezraa

๑۞๑ If you don't have Quedid on hand, and probably most of you won't, you can sub a halal smoky salami for a similar flavour here, or leave it out altogether.
Some cooks like to add diced turnips called luft in Algeria also.
You can use chickpea or lentils or even both in this dish. It depends on your preference and what you have on hand.

If you would like to see recipes of other hearty soups for Winter (click here)

Berkoukes b'lham 

•  500g de Berkoukes ou des pâtes en forme de petite boule 
• 250g de boeuf ou mutton en cubes 
• Poignée (environ 100g) Quedid  
• 1 gros oignon, émincé 
• 2 carottes, coupées en dés moyens 
• 1 courgette, coupée en dés moyens
•  2-3 ail, hachées 
• 1 c. soupe de concentraté de tomate
•  1 grosse pomme de terre, moyen coupé en dés 
• Harissa ou dersa fort (ou toute autre pâte de piment) au goût 
• 1 c. à thé de paprika
•  1 c. à thé de cumin pincée 
• 1 feuille de laurier 
• La moitié tas (environ 1 / 4 tasse haché) du persil et de coriandre hachés 
• Généreuse poignée ou deux de pois verts 
• Poignée de pois chiches précuits Poignée de lentilles brunes (j'utilise Puy) 
• l'huile d'olive / huile / smen sel / poivre noir 

1.  Hacher les légumes et la viande (s) 
2. Dorer le bœuf dans l'huile. 
3. Une fois dorés ajouter dans le aromatiques - oignons, l'ail, les carottes à faire sauter. 
4. Poussez tous ces ingrédients pour un côté de votre casserole, ajouter la pâte de tomate. Caraméliser la pâte de tomate pour une minute ou deux. 
5. Ensuite, ajoutez dans l'eau - environ 2.5L 
6. Maintenant, ajoutez les épices, le laurier et les lentilles et les Quedid si vous utilisez. 
7. Porter à ébullition, puis baisser le feu pour laisser mijoter bas. 
8. Une fois que la viande est cuite tendres, ajouter dans la moitié des herbes, pois chiches, courgettes, pommes de terre à cuire pendant une 10m supplémentaires. Puis ajouter les petits pois et les berkoukes dans le bouillon. Le berkoukes généralement cuire à environ 15m, mais garder un oeil vigilant sur ​​lui, car il peut facilement s'imprégner de tout le bouillon, puis de graver. N'hésitez pas à remuer souvent. 
9. Une fois le berkoukes est assez tendre, pas al dente! 
10. Incorporer les herbes restantes. 
11. Il devrait y avoir un bouillon épaissi encore peu ou vraiment la sauce. 

Servir chaud avec du pain comme un Kesra ou tout autre pain de campagne rustique de style comme Khoubz chair ou Khoubz Ezraa

 ۞ Si vous n'avez pas Quedid sur la main, et probablement la plupart d'entre vous vont pas, vous pouvez sous un salami halal fumé pour un goût similaire ici, ou le laisser complètement de côté. Certains cuisiniers comme les navets en dés d'ajouter appelé luft en Algérie aussi. Vous pouvez utiliser les pois chiches ou lentilles ou même les deux dans ce plat. Il dépend de vos préférences et ce que vous avez sous la main.

Si vous souhaitez voir les recettes des autres soupes réconfortantes pour l'hiver (cliquez ici)

Bsahtkoum !