Back in December, previous SGO Kumba held an International Recipe fest over Teams with the aim of compiling and sharing different recipes from all over the world. In the last of a 3 part series, Mirka has cooked one of those recipes. This episode, Frik from Algeria!

This recipe was centred around a pressure cooker and as a student you may not have access to one of these so with a little experimentation, Mirka cooked it on the hob. 

Read on below for how to make it:

Ingredients

• Oil
• Onions
• ¾ lamb
• 2 scallions (Spring Onions)
• 2 garlic cloves
• Cilantro bunch (Coriander Leaves)
• 3 tomatoes
• ½ cup chickpeas
• 1 tsp of Paprika.
• Bay leaf
• Mint
• Tomato paste
• Frik (Freekeh) [free-kuh]

Method

 With a Pressure cooker

1. In a pressure cooker, brown the meat in olive oil.
2. Add the scallions (spring onions), garlic, tomatoes to meat. Add half the cilantro (coriander) leaves and tomato paste. Add the chickpeas, stir and sauté over low heat covered for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the spices, salt, bay leaf, mint and hot water. Increase heat to bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium.
4. Lock the pressure cooker and cook on medium heat for 1 hour.
5. Open the pressure cooker and check the amount of liquid. Add a little boiling water if necessary.
6. Add frik into the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes over low to medium heat, stirring regularly to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
7. Turn off the heat and add remaining cilantro (coriander) 

Without a Pressure Cooker 

1. Brown the meat in a saucepan in a little bit of olive oil.
2. Add the scallions (spring onions), garlic, tomatoes to meat. Add half the cilantro (coriander) leaves and tomato paste. Add the chickpeas, stir and sauté over low heat covered for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the spices, salt, bay leaf, mint and hot water. Increase heat to bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium.
4. Leave on medium heat with a lid slightly covering to simmer. Check periodically, stirring to ensure it doesn’t stick.
5. When at the desired thickness, add frik to the pan and cook on a low to medium heat for about 10-15 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent sticking.
6. Test the softness of the Frik. When at the required softness, remove from the heat and add remaining cilantro (coriander) or mint to garnish

Want to see it in action? Why not watch the video over on our facebook page of Mirka cooking up this recipe!

If you try this recipe please share your photos with us on Facebook, Instagram (both @cccusustainability), or Twitter (@cccuscn). We would love to see them and share them!

Thank you to those who shared the recipe with us, it was delicious!

by Amy Bayliss-Fox, SGO Project Officer #livingwell