North Africa · Main

Berkoukes (Large Hand-Rolled Semolina Pearls in Spicy Tomato Broth)

Name: Berkoukes (Large Hand-Rolled Semolina Pearls in Spicy Tomato Broth)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Morocco
Ingredients: 300 g berkoukes (large hand-rolled semolina grains or giant couscous/moghrabieh); 350 g bone-in lamb shoulder, diced into 2cm cubes; 150 g cooked chickpeas (or canned, drained); 100 g dried brown lentils, rinsed; 200 g fresh ripe tomatoes, grated without skin; 45 g double-concentrated tomato paste; 120 g yellow onion, finely grated; 3 cloves garlic, finely minced; 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil; 15 g smen (Moroccan aged fermented butter, or ghee); 5 g ras el hanout; 3 g ground ginger; 3 g ground turmeric; 2 g fenugreek seeds (halba); 1.5 l water (or light meat broth); fine sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Plump semolina pearls simmered in a robust, spiced tomato and fenugreek broth enriched with tender lamb and chickpeas.

Cook mode

oujda-specialtywinter-comfortberber-pastaspiced-broth

The story

In eastern Morocco and the arid plains of Oujda, Berkoukes is the quintessential winter comfort dish, traditionally prepared to warm communal gatherings and restore strength to postpartum mothers. The large hand-rolled semolina pellets (aych) swell vigorously to absorb a fiery broth spiked with ras el hanout, smen, and wild fenugreek. Master cooks know that simmering whole fenugreek seeds briefly before crushing them tempers their sharp bitterness while yielding an intoxicating herbal depth.

Checking your membership…

Cook hands-free

Cook this next

Morocco·Drink

Atay bi Naa-Naa (Gunpowder Green Tea with Fresh Spearmint)

A ritualistic, frothy infusion of gunpowder green tea, bruised spearmint, and sugar poured from high to create the crowning rezza foam.

15 minEasy

Morocco·Street food

Babbouche (Herbal Broth-Stewed Land Snails)

Tender wild land snails simmered in an intensely aromatic, therapeutic broth infused with bitter orange peel, wild thyme, licorice root, and caraway.

2 h 15 minHard

Morocco·Breakfast

Baghrir (Semolina Honeycomb Thousand-Hole Pancakes)

Lacy, spongy semolina pancakes riddled with delicate honeycomb bubbles, saturated in warm orange blossom honey and melted butter.

40 minMedium

Morocco·Main

Bastilla bil Djaj (Moroccan Spiced Chicken and Almond Pie)

Crispy layers of warqa pastry encasing shredded saffron chicken, caramelized onion-egg reduction, and toasted cinnamon-orange almonds.

2 hHard