This is the tastiest thing I’ve made for YONKS! Yesterday, thanks to lockdown, I made for the second time in my life, Warka pastry from scratch, which is a super thin, shattery sort of filo made by imprinting a wafer thin layer of wet dough onto a non stick surface over steam, like a hot breath on a cold glass window, barely there.
The most satisfying bit of cooking magic 😀
Despite that I reckon you should just use regular filo to make these as you have to be a bit deranged to bother making Warka 🤪 but if you want to try the method is in the first Moro cookbook.
Ingredients, for 4 parcels
8 sheets of filo
About 150g white crab
2 tbsp chopped herbs; parsley, mint, coriander, dill (a mix of any)
1tsp toasted crushed cumin
Juice of a lemon
1 red chilli finely chopped
1 egg white
About 1 litre sunflower oil for frying
Mix the crab, herbs, lemon, cumin and chilli together and season the mixture.
Cut the first 2 filo sheets into rough 25cm rounds. Mix the egg white with a 2 tablespoons of water and brush the edges of the filo with this then lay on top of each other.
Put a quarter of the crab mix in the centre and fold up the edges in a pleating style to close the circle, use a bit more egg wash to seal if needed. Turn over onto a lightly floured surface while you repeat with the rest.
Pour enough oil to come about 4cm up a high sided saucepan and heat to 175 on a digital thermometer or until a small piece of bread or herb sizzles when you put it into the oil. Gently lower in the first parcel. Cook for about 2 minutes til golden, turning over if necessary then drain on, and cover with, kitchen paper while you cook the rest.
Serve with fresh harissa and lemon wedges. 🦀🤪🦀🤪🦀
