How to Make Trid Pastry

  • 01 of 10

    Trid Pastry

    Moroccan Trid Pastry. Photo © Christine Benlafquih

    Trid (or tride) is a thin, crepe-like pastry of Arab origin. The same word is used to describe a dish prepared by layering a poultry or meat stew among the cooked pastry.

    The following photos show how to make fully cooked* trid pastry which is served with stews. The Moroccan preparation is similar to that of unleavened rghaif, but without any special folding or shaping of the dough. Instead, balls of dough are flattened into circles and cooked in multi-layered stacks. The individual trid pastry leaves can then be separated.

    The process isn't difficult, but you'll need to allow about an hour and half from start to finish, including about 45 minutes of active working time. This can be done concurrent with the preparation of a stew.

    *It's important to note that barely-cooked trid pastry can also be prepared, but as it has a bit of a raw-dough taste and texture. I don't care for it with the stew dishes. I have also seen barely-cooked trid pastry used in place of warqa, but it is not nearly as delicate.

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  • 02 of 10

    Make the Trid Dough

    Trid Dough. Photo © Christine Benlafquih

    Prepare the dough by hand or with a stand mixer and dough hook. Combine 4 cups of all-purpose flour (you can replace 1 cup with fine semolina) and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Mix in enough lukewarm water (about 1 1/2 cups) to make a soft, manageable dough that's not sticky to the touch. Knead the dough for 10 minutes or until very smooth and elastic.

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  • 03 of 10

    Divide the Dough

    Shape the Dough into Balls. Photo © Christine Benlafquih

    Set out a tray and a bowl of vegetable oil. Oil your hands, the tray and the trid dough.

    Shape small balls of dough by squeezing off portions about the size of an egg or small plum. Set the balls of dough on the try, spread more oil on their tops, and loosely cover them with a piece of plastic. Leave the dough to rest for 20 to 30 minutes.

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  • 04 of 10

    Flatten and Cook the First Layer of Dough

    Flatten Dough into a Very Thin Circle. Photo © Christine Benlafquih

    Traditionally, Moroccan trid pastry dough was stretched over and cooked on a rounded clay pot called a qdra dyal trid, but today it's quite common to use a large frying pan instead. Here, I'm using an old skillet that I reserve for frying tasks.

    Place your pan over medium heat and allow it to warm up for a minute or two.

    Oil your work surface. Take a ball of dough, dip it in the oil, and flatten the dough into a paper-thin circle by patting and stretching it with oiled hands. Transfer the dough to the hot pan – lifting and repositioning it if necessary to correct its shape – and allow it to cook for 20 to 30 seconds.

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  • 05 of 10

    Add a Second Layer of Dough

    Position the Second Layer of Dough. Photo © Christine Benlafquih

    Turn the first layer of dough over to cook the other side. Immediately flatten another ball of dough, and add the second pastry layer directly on top of the first. Lift and stretch the dough to position it as neatly and flatly as possible.

    Allow the second layer of dough to cook raw-side up for about half a minute, and then turn the double layer of dough over.

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  • 06 of 10

    Continue Adding and Cooking Layers

    Third Layer of Trid. Photo © Christine Benlafquih

    Immediately flatten a third layer of dough and add it to the cooked trid which is now on top of the stack. Allow the new layer of dough to cook raw-side-up for half a minute, and then turn the whole stack over.

    Repeat the process – flattening a ball of dough and adding it to the stack – until you've made a stack of eight or more cooked layers.

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  • 07 of 10

    Fold the Edges Under to Cook

    Cooking Thick Edges is Optional. Photo © Christine Benlafquih

    This step is optional.

    When you've finished cooking a stack of trid pastry, it's likely that the outer edges will be thick and uncooked in places. If you like, turn the edges under to make contact with the pan to help cook them. You may have to do this in several steps, folding the stack of dough one way and then another.

    My own preference is simply to cut or tear off any thick, gummy edges. They can either be discarded or, if you hate to be wasteful, cooked longer in a stir-fry fashion. Use the cooked scraps for snacking or add them to the dish you'll be preparing with the trid pastry.

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  • 08 of 10

    Separate the Layers of Trid Pastry

    Pull Apart the Pastry Leaves. Photo © Christine Benlafquih

    Transfer a cooked stack of trid pastry to a rack while you work with the remaining dough. When you're all finished, separate the trid pastry leaves by gently pulling them apart.

    The pastry can be left whole or shredded. The next two images show serving suggestions for trid.

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  • 09 of 10

    Trid with Saffron Chicken

    Poor Man's Bastilla. Photo © Christine Benlafquih

    The pastry can be left whole or shredded when serving this sweet and savory trid. The chicken is stewed with fragrant spices of saffron, cinnamon and ginger. In this dish, I shredded the lower layers of trid pastry for easier eating, but left them whole for the top layer. A dusting of powdered sugar and cinnamon serves as garnish, with more offered on the side. It's not a pretty dish, but it is delicious!

    Recipe for Trid with Saffron Chicken

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  • 10 of 10

    Trid with Chicken and Lentils - Rfissa

    Rfissa - Trid. Photo © Christine Benlafquih

    Another Moroccan preparation of trid is rfissa – a mound of shredded pastry serves as a bed for a spicy chicken and lentil stew. Saffron, fenugreek, ginger and Ras el Hanout all contribute to the memorable seasoning. For this dish, you may want to steam the shredded trid in a couscoussier to warm and soften it just prior to serving.

    Recipe for Chicken Rfissa