How to make Seffa

Seffa is a traditional Moroccan dish that is normally served during celebrations and festive season.

The word Seffa is a Maghrebi term for a meal of sweetened semolinacuscus with butter, cinnamon, and almonds. The dish is prepared by Moroccan Jewish communities on the night of the Mimouna. It is also known in French as Couscous Sucré et Sec (sweet and dry couscous)

The dish may consist of meat, and also alternatively be made with vermicelli or rice. It is normally combined with a savory-sweet onion sauce and a topping of icing sugar, cinnamon, raisins, and ground almonds. Pieces of chicken or any kind of meat in the dish is normally contained in this celebratory dish.

The best form for preparation of this wonderful Moroccan dish is mentioned below;

Ingredients

• 1kg of dry broken vermicelli
• 3 teaspoons vegetable or olive oil 
• 4 teaspoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon butter (for caramelizing)
• 1 teaspoon sugar – or honey (optional; for caramelizing)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
•  1 whole chicken, cut into pieces and skin removed 
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 2 large onions, – chopped medium
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon saffron – crumbled
• 2 small pieces of cinnamon stick 
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 4 teaspoon unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 teaspoons salt to taste

Procedure in making Seffa

1. Fill the base of a couscousier or a large steaming pot with salted water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer, and proceed with steaming the broken vermicelli four to five times then add the raisins for the fourth steaming.
2. while you are steaming the broken vermicelli , prepare the chicken.
3. The chicken should be mixed properly, with onions, spices, butter, oil and cilantro in a heavy-bottomed pot. Gently brown the chicken over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
4. If cooking chicken, don’t add water as the chicken will braise in its own juices.
5. Cover the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is very tender. This will take about 1 hour for the chicken
6. Reduce the liquids until a thick sauce has formed. Discard the cinnamon stick, and taste for seasoning. If desired, remove the chicken from the bones.
7. Gently toss the steamed broken vermicelli with the butter and powdered sugar. Place about 1/3 of this mixture on a very large serving dish.
8. Arrange the chicken in the center, and cover with the sauce. Pile the rest of the vermicelli on top of the chicken, using your hands to shape a dome.
9. Decorate the mound of seffa in a vertical pattern with the cinnamon, ground almonds and powdered sugar. Serve immediately, with small bowls of powdered sugar, ground almonds, and cinnamon on the side.