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Mhancha (M'hancha): photo of the dish
Illustrative photo: Algeriaforever — CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Snacks & baking

Mhancha (M'hancha)

Mhancha, meaning "snake" in Darija, is a puff pastry rolled into a spiral around a cinnamon- and orange-blossom-scented almond filling. It is served warm or cold, drizzled with honey, at celebrations and receptions.

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Ingredients

Ingredients

Farce

Spices & seasoning

Optional extras

On the side

Nutrition facts

441 kcal per serving

Protein
9.6 g
Carbohydrates
35.5 g
of which sugars
21.4 g
Fat
27.8 g
of which saturated fat
6.1 g
Fiber
4.8 g

Ecomely’s estimate, calculated from the ingredients with the ANSES Ciqual food composition table, excluding sides and seasoning added to taste.

Instructions

  1. Toast the whole almonds dry in a frying pan for 5 minutes, then finely blitz them with the icing sugar.
  2. In a bowl, mix the ground almonds with the cinnamon, melted butter, orange blossom water and egg until you have a soft, smooth paste.
  3. Unroll the puff pastry and cut a strip about 8 cm wide, then spread the filling into an even sausage along one edge.
  4. Roll the strip around the filling to form a long rope, then coil it into a tight spiral like a snake, placing it on a buttered tray.
  5. Brush the top with a little melted butter and scatter over the flaked almonds.
  6. Bake at 180 °C for about 20 minutes, until the pastry is golden and crisp.
  7. Let it cool for a few minutes, then drizzle generously with warm honey before serving, dusted with cinnamon.

Variations and tips

Honey-free version. Replace the honey with a light syrup of sugar and orange blossom water for a more restrained presentation.

With what you can find here. Shop-bought puff pastry and ready-ground almonds work very well.

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Original Ecomely recipe.