Moroccan Recipes with Semolina (Smida)

Beghrir are tender Moroccan pancakes made from semolina. Yeast in the crepe-like batter causes hundreds of bubbles to form and break on the surface of the pancake as it cooks.

These date-filled cookies are fried and then dipped in honey - sweet and delicious!

Harcha (also spelled harsha) is a Moroccan pan-fried bread made from semolina flour, butter, and milk. Although it looks a bit like an English muffin, it's more like cornbread in texture and taste.

This easy Moroccan recipe yields a semolina soup flavored with saffron and anise. It's equally satisfying as a supper and breakfast food and is traditionally served with dates on the side.

Although semolina is famously used to make pasta or couscous, it also makes a very flavorful, chewy bread. Moroccan Semolina bread – or khobz dyal smida – is easy to prepare and perfect for sandwiches, breakfast, tea time or serving with tagines.

Batbout is one of my family's favorite Moroccan breads. This recipe yields a soft and chewy bread with a pocket that can be stuffed like pita. Increase the amount of semolina in the dough as desired.

You don't have to use semolina when making the dough for this classic Moroccan stuffed bread, but I highly recommend that you do. Pan-fried like batbout, khobz chehma is first stuffed with a savory filling of onions, parsley, spices, and beef or lamb suet.

Meloui are round Moroccan pancakes (rghaif) that are shaped by rolling a folded strip of dough up like a rug, and then flattening the upright coil into a circle. They can be eaten plain or with syrup made from butter and honey.

These classic Moroccan pancakes, or rghaif, are made by flattening portions of dough and then folding them into squares. Frying the folded dough in a pan yields a layered pancake which is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.

Morocco's rendition of baklava (or baklawa as it's called instead) is made by sandwiching an almond filling between multiple layers of homemade pastry made from semolina and white flour.