1
Knead the dough
Mix semolina, flour, salt, and water into a soft dough, then knead until smooth and elastic.
knead
12:00
Algeria | Recipe
Mhadjeb
Algerian semolina flatbreads folded around a spicy tomato, onion, and pepper filling.
Country
Algeria
Region
North Africa
Time
80 min
Serves
8
Level
medium
Recipe overview
What to know before you cook
Mhadjeb, also called mahdjouba, is the Algerian griddle bread that turns a few pantry ingredients into a complete hand-held meal. Thin semolina dough is stretched, filled, folded, and cooked until blistered.
What the dish tastes like
Algerian semolina flatbreads folded around a spicy tomato, onion, and pepper filling.
When to cook it
Best for Best for breakfast, street food plates, school snacks, and tea-time meals., with a medium cooking level and about 80 minutes total.
What to serve alongside it
Harissa, mint tea, olives, or a simple cucumber tomato salad.
Regional lane
Algeria national table. A verified Algeria dish in the AfroKitchen archive.
Chef watch-outs
- Rushing the rest or fermentation period.
- Rushing the base before the raw edge has cooked out.
- Adding all seasoning early and forgetting to adjust at the end.
How you know it is ready
- The bread or batter should smell pleasantly fermented, toasted, or nutty rather than floury.
- The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
- Oil, sauce, broth, or steam should look settled and deliberate.
Recipe photos
See the dish before you cook
Each recipe supports one main image and up to four extra prep, serving, or step photos when they are available.
Chef board
Build the table around Mhadjeb
Harissa, mint tea, olives, or a simple cucumber tomato salad.
Best route from here
Algeria national table
Collections to keep cooking
How to cook it
Step-by-step method
Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.
4 steps
80 min total
medium
2
Rest in oil
Divide into balls, coat with oil, cover, and rest until the dough relaxes.
rest
30:00
3
Cook the filling
Cook onions, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, harissa, paprika, and salt until thick and almost dry.
filling
22:00
4
Fill and griddle
Stretch each dough ball thin, add filling, fold into a square, and cook on a hot griddle until spotted.
griddle
18:00
Some cooks keep the filling strictly tomato and onion, while others add peppers, garlic, minced meat, or cheese.