Are you interested in more healthy recipes? Let's continue our "Healthy Ramadan" series. Today, we are going to prepare another key element in Moroccan Ramadan table. It's Sellou, the Moroccan Energy Mix but with a healthy twist.
RECIPE:
INGREDIENTS:
150 grams (2 cups) whole wheat flour
100 grams (3/4 cups) stone-ground whole-wheat flour
250 grams (1 1/2 cups) of sesame seeds
150 grams (1 cups) of raw almonds
100 grams (3/4 cups) of roasted almonds
Some pieces of arabic gum
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
25 grams (2 tablespoons) of brown sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 to 2 tablespoons ground anise
1/2 nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of salt
50 grams (2 1/3 tablespoons) of honey
200 ml of olive oil
DIRECTIONS:
Step 1: Preparing the Ingredients
1- First, we need to brown the flour. In a baking pan, sift the stone-ground whole-wheat flour, and discard the leftover particles.
2- Add the whole wheat flour and mix.
3- Spread the flour mix in the baking pan and place it in a preheated oven to 200°C / 395°F for 45 minutes.
4- Stir the flour mix every 10 minutes so that the flour bakes evenly and does not burn.
5- The flour mix is ready when the flour has a deep golden brown color and does not taste raw anymore.
6- To make the almond butter, roast 150 grams of raw almonds in the oven at 180 C / 350 F for 15 minutes. Let them cool a bit, then place in a food processor and mix.
7- From time to time, stir the almond mixture to evenly spread it in the food processor. Keep mixing for 10 minutes until the almond powder starts releasing its natural oil and transforms into a creamy almond butter.
8- Place the sesame seeds in a pan, and roast them on medium heat for a few minutes until they lose their raw taste.
9- Place the roasted sesame seeds in a food processor and mix until the sesame seeds are half ground.
10- Place the gum arabic pebbles in a flat surface, add the sugar, and grind them with the bottom of a cup until you get a fine powder.
11- Take the 100 grams of almonds and chop them into a coarse mixture.
12- Mix the brown sugar in a food processor until you get a fine texture.
13- Grate the nutmeg.
Step 2: Mix the Ingredients
1- In a large bowl, combine the following ingredients: the flour mix, the sesame seeds, crushed almonds, gum arabic powder, ground cinnamon, ground anise, ground nutmeg, salt and almond butter. Mix well until well integrated.
2- Add powdered brown sugar, honey, and olive oil. Mix until all ingredients are combined.
3- Taste sellou and adjust sweetness (powdered brown sugar or honey) to your preference.
4- Knead the sellou for 5 minutes until you get a homogenous paste.
5- You can present Sellou as is in a plate and decorate it with blanched roasted almonds.