My husband always buys a kilo or two for me to bring home when we go to Kairouan. My friend makes these herself, here's her recipe:
Makrouth
1.5kg very fine semolina,750gm dates ,3/4 litre sugar syrup,1/4 litre honey,oil for frying,1/2 teaspoon cinnamon,1teaspoon fine salt,1/2 tablespoon of ground orange peel,1 pinch saffron,1pinch bicarbonate of soda.
mix semolina with salt saffron and bicarbonate make a well in the middle and poor in 2 decilitres of warm oil,mix rapidly with just enough water to make a homogenous and firm paste, allow to rest for 30 mins. meanwhile
stone the dates add one decilitre of oil , cinnamon and orange powder and mix to smooth paste , break off pieces and work with hands into sausage shapes approx thickness of index finger.
prepare sugar syrup, and dilute honey into it.
take ball of pastry roll out to 1cm thick and 8-10cm wide place finger of date paste in the middle fold paste around this and form a sausage with the join underneath flatten with your hands and cut into desired shape nomally a losenge.
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continue until pastry is finished keeping made losenges on and oiled tray.
in a frying pan heat oil to 180c approx fry makrouth on both sides until cooked through and dark golden brown drain and plunge in surgar and honey syrup,serve or place in container to keep for up to 1 mth.
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