There are some dishes that make you want to invite people over.
For me, this Moroccan spiced m’hanncha is one of them. A golden coil of crisp filo, filled with vegetables, grains, warming spices and little bursts of sweetness from dried fruit. It looks beautiful in the middle of the table, ready to slice and share.
As I write this, I’m in Morocco hosting our Relish Mama Food & Culture Tour. Being here always reminds me how much pleasure there is in discovering food together. Something you haven’t tasted before. A conversation about how it is made. A meal that encourages you to sit a little longer.
I wanted to share a little of that pleasure with you at home.
This is a recipe I have made many times, including with our Cooking Club. It makes a lovely vegetarian centrepiece for a long lunch, a gathering with friends or a celebration where you want something generous and delicious on the table.
And if you’re looking at the spiral and wondering whether you could possibly make it, please keep reading. A little patience with the filo goes a long way, and the odd crack is nothing to worry about.
M’hanncha takes its name from its coiled, snake-like shape. Traditionally, it is a sweet Moroccan pastry filled with almonds, often scented with cinnamon and orange blossom.
My Moroccan spiced m’hanncha is a savoury variation. It keeps that beautiful shape, but inside you’ll find pumpkin or sweet potato, capsicum, grains and lentils or chickpeas.
Cumin, fennel, coriander, cinnamon and smoked paprika bring warmth to the filling. Apricots, dates and cranberries add little pockets of sweetness, while lemon brings everything together.
If you enjoy exploring the food behind a destination, the Moroccan National Tourism Office has a lovely introduction to Morocco’s food and culinary traditions. There is so much to discover beyond any one dish.
I love a vegetarian dish that everyone wants a slice of.
This one has plenty going on: tender vegetables, the texture of the grain, the richness of the pulses and that lovely contrast between the filling and the crisp pastry. A scattering of toasted pistachios and fresh coriander finishes it beautifully.
The recipe serves eight to ten with salads and sides, making it particularly useful when you have a few people coming over.
There is flexibility, too. Use pumpkin or sweet potato, lentils or chickpeas, and choose from pearl barley, freekeh, farro or couscous. Follow the cooking instructions for whichever grain you choose, and drain it well before adding it to the filling.
To make a vegan version, use olive oil for brushing, check the ingredients in your filo and choose a dairy-free accompaniment.
Filo can look a little intimidating if you haven’t worked with it much. Once you understand what it needs, though, it becomes much easier to handle.
The first thing is to keep the unused sheets covered with a clean, lightly damp tea towel. You want to stop the pastry drying out, without making it wet.
The second is to let your filling cool before assembling. Hot filling can soften the pastry and make it more likely to tear. This is a good moment to clear some bench space and get your tray ready.
For this recipe, you arrange three overlapping pairs of filo sheets across the bench. That gives you one long rectangle, two sheets thick. The filling goes along the edge closest to you, ready to roll into a long sausage before gently curling it into a spiral.
And my most useful advice? Patch with confidence.
If the filo tears, use a little of the spare pastry brushed with oil or butter to cover the gap. Your m’hanncha doesn’t need to look perfectly even. It is a handmade dish, and those little imperfections belong.
I like to serve Moroccan spiced m’hanncha with something fresh alongside it.
A leafy salad with a lemony dressing is lovely, as is a platter of sliced tomatoes with herbs. You could also add a simple yoghurt sauce flavoured with lemon or tahini, or serve it with a spiced tomato sauce.
You don’t need to make every accompaniment elaborate. The m’hanncha has plenty of flavour, so a couple of simple things alongside it will give you a beautiful meal.
Bring it to the table whole if you can, then slice and serve after its short rest.
You can cook the grain and prepare the filling ahead, then refrigerate the cooled filling until you are ready to assemble.
That leaves the rolling and baking for later, rather than having every part of the recipe to do at once.
If you are using frozen filo, check the packet’s thawing instructions in advance. Different brands need different amounts of time, and it’s much nicer to discover that before you’re ready to cook.
I taught this recipe in one of our Relish Mama Cooking Club classes, where we could take the time to work through the filling, the filo and the shaping together.
Members can revisit the full archived class and its booklet, which includes both this savoury version and a sweet almond m’hanncha.
That is something I love about the Club. We can explore a dish a little more deeply, build confidence and enjoy learning together. Alongside the classes and recording library, there is weekly Dinner Inspo and monthly recipe e-books to keep good food coming into your kitchen.
If that sounds like something you would enjoy, I would love to welcome you.
Cooking is a wonderful way to begin exploring a place. Travelling there brings another layer: meeting people, visiting markets and sitting down to meals that help you understand a little more of their world.
Our 2027 Morocco Food & Culture Tour is open for bookings, and I would love you to join me.
We’ll cook with a Moroccan family, explore the medina of Fez, wander the blue streets of Chefchaouen and spend a night in the Sahara. I’ll be there hosting you, alongside our wonderful local team.
For now, perhaps start with this recipe and a few people around your own table.
I hope you love it.
Nellie x
Since 2009, I’ve been bringing people together around real food, recipes made to cook, share, and enjoy.
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