Cherchem

Ingredients

Grain and pulses

• 400 gcoarse cracked wheat
• 200 gdried white beans or chickpeas
• water, for soaking

Meat

• 800 gmutton on the bone
• in large pieces

Base

• 2onions, chopped
• 4garlic cloves, crushed
• 3tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tablespoonstomato paste
• 4 tablespoonsoil or ghee
• 1 teaspoonground cumin
• 1 teaspoonground coriander
• 1 teaspoonpaprika
• 1/2 teaspoonground cinnamon

Dried herbs

• 2 tablespoonsdried mint
• 1 tablespoondried coriander leaf
• 2bay leaves
• 1dried chilli

To cook

• 2 litreswater
• salt and black pepper

To serve

• a knob of butter or ghee
• flatbread

Directions

1. Use coarse cracked wheat if you can find it. Rinse the beans or chickpeas and pick out stones. Cover them with plenty of cold water. Leave them overnight or for eight hours. They swell to about twice their size. Drain and rinse them before cooking. Dried kidney beans must be boiled hard first.
2. Use white beans or chickpeas and the question does not arise. Rinse the cracked wheat in cold water. Cover it with warm water for an hour. Drain it before it goes into the pot. Cut it into large even pieces. Heat the oil or ghee in a large heavy pot. Add the meat and brown it well. Give it about eight minutes over a high heat.
3. Turn the pieces so every side colours. Lift the meat out and set it aside. Add the chopped onions to the same pot. Cook them for about eight minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Stir the tomato paste in as well. Fry it for two minutes to cook out the rawness.
4. Add the cumin, coriander, paprika and cinnamon. Cook them for one minute until fragrant. Add the chopped tomatoes to the pot. Cook them down for about five minutes.
5. Return the browned meat to the pot. Add the drained beans or chickpeas. Add the bay leaves and the dried chilli. Pour in all of the measured water. Season it with salt and black pepper. Bring it up to a gentle simmer. Cover the pot and lower the heat.
6. Let it cook for about ninety minutes. The meat should be tender and the beans soft. Check the water level every half hour. Top up with hot water if it drops. Add the drained cracked wheat to the pot.
7. Stir it through the pot thoroughly. Add more hot water if it looks dry. Let it cook for another forty minutes. Stir it every ten minutes without fail. Adding the dried herbs is done near the end. Add the dried mint and coriander leaf. Add them for the last fifteen minutes only.
8. Crush them between your palms as they go in. Judging when it is done takes a taste. Taste it and adjust the salt to suit. Serving it is done hot in deep bowls. Spoon it out while it is steaming. Add a knob of butter or ghee on top. Serve flatbread alongside the bowl. It keeps three days refrigerated.

Technique

• Hassaniya is the Arabic dialect of Mauritania, Western Sahara and southern Morocco, and this is a winter dish of that kitchen.
• Cracked wheat is not the same as bulgur, which is parboiled before cracking and therefore cooks in minutes rather than an hour.

Substitutions

• Coarse bulgur can be used but needs far less cooking, so add it much later.
• Lamb stands in for mutton and cooks a little faster.

Variations

• Some households make it entirely without meat.
• Chickpeas and white beans are both used, sometimes together.
• Similar cracked wheat dishes are cooked across the Maghreb.

History

A slow winter dish of the Hassaniya kitchen, sharing its name and grain with similar wheat-berry dishes across the Maghreb.

Frequently asked questions

What is Cherchem?

Cherchem is a main from Mauritania: cracked wheat cooked with beans and mutton and scented with dried herbs. A slow winter dish of the Hassaniya kitchen, sharing its name and grain with similar wheat-berry dishes across the Maghreb.

How long does Cherchem take to make?

Cherchem takes 30 minutes plus soaking of preparation and 2 hours 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Cherchem?

Yes, within limits. Coarse bulgur can be used but needs far less cooking, so add it much later. Lamb stands in for mutton and cooks a little faster.

What is the most important thing to get right in Cherchem?

Use coarse cracked wheat if you can find it. Rinse the beans or chickpeas and pick out stones. Cover them with plenty of cold water. Leave them overnight or for eight hours. They swell to about twice their size. Drain and rinse them before cooking. Dried kidney beans must be boiled hard first.