Sfriya (Sfiriya)- Algerian croquettes, dumplings rissoles and falafels (?)

In Algerian cuisine sfriya are a category of round, football (oval shapped with tapered ends) or patty shaped croquettes, dumplings or rissoles that are steamed, boiled or deep or shallow fried. The word sfriya is derived from the Medieval Arabic Isfîriyâ.

 

They can be based on a variety of starches such as potatoes, flour, bread or legumes. Potato or semolina flour based one are probably the most common (potato croquettes are also called  maqouda, meaning "the pounded"). In sub-Saharan Algeria sfriyas are made with black eyed peas and are similar to West African akara.

An Anonymous Andalusian Cookbook of the 13th Century Translated by Charles Perry

A Recipe of Isfîriyâ

Take some red meat and pound as before. Put it in some water and add some sour dough dissolved with as much egg as the meat will take, and salt, pepper, saffron, cumin, and coriander seed, and knead it all together. Then put a pan with fresh oil on the fire, and when the oil has boiled, add a spoon of isfîriya and pour it in the frying pan carefully so that it forms thin cakes. Then make a sauce for it.

Simple Isfîriyâ

Break however many eggs you like into a big plate and add some sourdough, dissolved with a commensurate number of eggs, and also pepper, coriander, saffron, cumin, and cinnamon. Beat it all together, then put it in a frying pan with oil over a moderate fire and make thin cakes out of it, as before.

Counterfeit (Vegetarian) Isfîriyâ of Garbanzos

Pound some garbanzos, take out the skins and grind them into flour. And take some of the flour and put into a bowl with a bit of sourdough and some egg, and beat with spices until it's all mixed. Fry it as before in thin cakes, and make a sauce for them.

The last one looks like a simple falafel to me. Chick pea or fava bean based rissoles are made in Algeria but they differ from Middle Eastern style falafels. Falafels are more of a restaurant item in Algeria and definitely considered Middle Eastern in origin.

I don't have a specifically Algerian bean sfriya to share with you at the moment. Maybe later this week I'll make some potato croquettes.

For now I have a few tips to share about making bean rissoles. My wife made these falafels based on Clifford Wright's recipe . They were very light on the inside with crispy exterior, two are spicy versions and one is milder. These were very different from the heavy, dense ones typically found in Middle Eastern restaurants in the States.

Truc 1- if you need to add water while processing the beans in a food processor drain off excess moisture by placing the puree in a colander.

Truc 2- Cliff doesn't mention needing a falafel mold, but I have read several recipes that insist on using a mold. You can make perfectly round falafel balls by shaping them with your hand. We did not let the balls rest after shaping them, we placed them in hot oil one by one immediately after we shaped them.

Making falafels at home is actually quite easy, if not a bit time consuming. We freeze them and reheat them in a toaster oven. Not as good as freshly fried falafels but still tasty and lighter than the ones you find at most restaurants.

If you want to serve bean rissoles the Algerian way, I suggest flat bread, harissa, and a refreshing salad of greens, tomatoes, cucumbers and sweet onion.

 

Comments

[Sophie]

We would like to feature this recipe on our blog. Please email sophiekiblogger@gmail.com if interested. Thanks :)

[Cheryl]

Upon my visit to my future sister-in-law's home for lunch in Algeria, I was served a different variation of these. They were like small meatballs covered in a crisp coating of what seemed to be the same consistancy of mashed potatoes surrounding the meatball fried into this ball resembling the 1st photo above. They were very yummy and his sister called this Sfiriya.

[Sorina]

i have to try this recipe...it looks delicious

[Rose]

The kind of Algerian Sfiriya recipe that I have is from Tlemcen. It's very different from the one you have here as it is sweet, made with ground almonds, ground crackers, orange blossom water...etc. I tried it once and didn't like it. It was too dry for me. Is it possible Farid to have the exact recipe of the sfiriyat that you photographed? It looks delicious. And I can't wait to see the maakouda recipe. Mine tends to be greasy and doesn't hold its shape. Have a nice Ramadan and a nice week.