Rechta

Ingredients

Noodles

• 500 gfine semolina
• 1 tspsalt
• About 220 ml warm water
• 3 tbspsunflower oil
• cornflour or fine semolina, for dusting

White sauce

• 6chicken thighs, skin removed
• 3 tbspsmen or 50 g butter
• 2 tbspsunflower oil
• 2onions, grated
• 200 gcooked chickpeas
• 2turnips, peeled and quartered
• 2courgettes, in thick batons
• 1cinnamon stick
• 1 tspwhite pepper
• 1 tspground cinnamon
• 1.5 litreswater
• salt

To serve

• ground cinnamon, for dusting
• 1 handfulchopped parsley

Directions

1. Knead the semolina, salt and warm water for 12 minutes into a firm, smooth dough, then rub it with 1 tbsp of the oil, cover and rest for 30 minutes.
2. Roll the dough out as thin as you can manage, about 1 mm, dusting with cornflour, then roll it up loosely and cut it across into threads no wider than 2 mm with a sharp knife, or pass it through the finest cutter of a pasta machine.
3. Shake the noodles apart, toss them with the remaining oil and a little more cornflour so they do not stick, and spread them on a cloth while you cook the sauce.
4. Melt the smen with the oil in a heavy pot over medium-low heat, add the chicken and the grated onion, and sweat for 10 minutes without any browning, since rechta is a white dish.
5. Add the white pepper, ground cinnamon and cinnamon stick, then the water and chickpeas, bring to a bare simmer and skim.
6. Cook covered for 30 minutes, then add the turnips and cook 15 minutes more, and the courgettes for the final 10, until everything is tender but still holding its shape.
7. Meanwhile steam the noodles in a couscoussier or muslin-lined steamer for 15 minutes, then turn them out, sprinkle with a little of the hot broth and a spoonful of butter, and separate them with a fork.
8. Steam a second time for 10 to 15 minutes, until the noodles are completely tender, glossy and separate rather than clumped.
9. Pile the rechta in a wide shallow dish, moisten with several ladles of broth so it is wet but not swimming, arrange the chicken, vegetables and chickpeas on top and pour more broth over.
10. Dust with ground cinnamon, scatter with parsley, and serve with the remaining broth in a jug at the table.

Technique

• Steaming rather than boiling is what makes rechta rechta. Boiled noodles absorb water, go slack and cloud the broth, while steamed ones drink the sauce at the table.
• The sauce must never brown. Onions are sweated pale, no tomato appears, and the seasoning is white pepper and cinnamon.
• Rechta is the Algiers dish for Mawlid, the Prophet’s birthday, and for Achoura, and hand-cutting the noodles is traditionally a family job done the day before.
• Dry noodles keep. Spread them on a cloth for a day, then store in a tin for a month.

Substitutions

• Shop-bought fresh tagliolini or dried angel-hair, steamed rather than boiled, is the standard shortcut and works well.
• No smen: butter with a teaspoon of yoghurt stirred in stands in, though the aged note is what people recognise in the dish.

Variations

• Rechta bel lham uses lamb shoulder in place of poultry.
• A Tlemcen version adds a little saffron and dried mint to the broth.
• Some families serve it with a spoonful of hot broth and harissa on the side for those who want heat.

History

The name comes from Persian rishta, thread; the fine hand-cut noodles reached Algiers through Ottoman-era cooking and remain the capital’s wedding and Mawlid dish.

Frequently asked questions

What is Rechta?

Rechta is a main from Algeria: fine hand-cut noodles under white cinnamon-scented chicken and chickpea sauce. The name comes from Persian rishta, thread; the fine hand-cut noodles reached Algiers through Ottoman-era cooking and remain the capital’s wedding and Mawlid dish.

How long does Rechta take to make?

Rechta takes 1 hr for the noodles of preparation and 1 hr 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Rechta?

Yes, within limits. Shop-bought fresh tagliolini or dried angel-hair, steamed rather than boiled, is the standard shortcut and works well. No smen: butter with a teaspoon of yoghurt stirred in stands in, though the aged note is what people recognise in the dish.

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

Shake the noodles apart, toss them with the remaining oil and a little more cornflour so they do not stick, and spread them on a cloth while you cook the sauce.