Algerian Rfissa

About This Recipe

Rfissa is a deeply nourishing North African dish — traditionally made for new mothers recovering from childbirth and for festive celebrations. Chicken is slow-cooked with fenugreek, ras el hanout and lentils into a thick, fragrant broth that is poured over torn pieces of msemen (layered flatbread) or shredded bread. The fenugreek gives a distinctive bitter warmth said to have restorative properties.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1.2 kgchicken pieces(bone-in)
• 200 ggreen or brown lentils
• 2 tspfenugreek seeds(or 1 tsp ground)
• 1 tspras el hanout
• 1 tspturmeric
• 1 tspground ginger
• 2 largeonions(sliced)
• 3 tbspolive oil
• 1 litrechicken stock
• 1 small bunchfresh coriander
• 4 roundsmsemen or flatbread(torn into pieces)
• 1 tspsalt

Instructions

1. 1

   Brown chicken

   Heat oil in a large pot. Brown chicken pieces all over. Remove.

2. 2

   Soften onions

   Cook onions in remaining oil until very soft. Add all spices and stir 2 minutes.

3. 3

   Add chicken and stock

   Return chicken to pot. Add stock, lentils and coriander. Bring to a simmer.

4. 4

   Slow cook

   Cover and cook on low heat 75–90 minutes until chicken is very tender and lentils have broken down into the broth.

5. 5

   Serve

   Tear flatbread into a wide, shallow serving dish. Ladle broth and lentils over the bread, then arrange chicken pieces on top. Serve immediately while the bread absorbs the broth.

Variations

• •

  Replace chicken with lamb for a richer version.

• •

  Add smen (aged butter) to the finished broth for an authentic Algerian richness.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Broth and chicken keep for 3 days. Soak bread fresh when serving.

Frequently Asked Questions