 There’s a reason why Parisians love Wally Chouaki, the grey-haired, pony-tailed Algerian from the fiercely independent region of Kabylia in northern Algeria. Besides the warm welcome and décor, his restaurant, Wally le Saharien has consistently served some of the finest couscous in the country for over 30 years.
Couscous, or seksu, as it’s called in Kabylia, is a serious affair. Rolled by hand from coarse semolina flour made from durum wheat, it is the essential ingredient in Berber cuisine. It is weightless and fluffy, “pure and impeccable” says Wally.
The kitchen is usually a woman’s territory in North Africa but Wally learned to make couscous from his mother by being tenacious.
“In our village we cooked outside so she couldn’t kick me out of the kitchen. I ended up making the couscous, bread and griddle cakes. Besides, it was nice to be around all those women.”
When Wally arrived in France in 1965, he remembered how he had always enjoyed cooking, and began working as a chef in a restaurant, reproducing classical Berber dishes. He ended up buying the restaurant, which he still owns, and ten years later opened his second restaurant Wally le Saharien. It was one of the first restaurants in the French capital to introduce Parisians to the hand-rolled, “dry”, light as air couscous eaten in Kabylia, served without a sauce, and usually accompanied by lamb shanks or merguez sausages. Wally’s couscous was recognized for its refinement and quality, which remains his primary concern. But Wally does not only serve couscous; his restaurant is known for its unusual and delicious desserts such as his moist almond cake, which he serves with a pungent orange sauce. If rolling your own couscous seems daunting, you can still use semolina flour and reproduce Wally’s almond cake with a coulis made from fresh orange segments from the recipe below:
Saharan Almond Cake with Orange Coulis
Gateau Saharien aux Amandes au Coulis d’Oranges
Serves 8
Almond Cake
1 cup blanched almonds
1 cup sugar
1 cup finely ground semolina flour
3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
½ cup sunflower oil
2 teaspoons baking powder
Simple Syrup
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon Cognac or Armagnac
Orange Coulis
3 large oranges
1 lemon
1 tablespoon Cognac or Armagnac
An 8-inch (21cm) square baking pan
1.Combine the sugar and water for the simple syrup in a small pot and bring to a boil. Let cook 5 minutes then remove from heat and stir in the Cognac or Armagnac. Let cool. The simple syrup can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C
3. Lightly dry roast the almonds then place in a blender or food processor with 2 tablespoons of the sugar and grind to a grainy consistency, but not to a powder.
4. Combine the ground almonds with the flour, the remaining sugar, eggs and oil and stir until thoroughly blended. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes before adding the baking powder.
5. Pour the cake batter into the pan and bake 20-30 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. When done, remove from oven and immediately paint the entire surface of the cake with the cooled, flavored simple syrup.
6. While the cake is in the oven, peel the oranges and lemon then remove the segments working over a bowl to catch the juice. Put the segments and juice in a blender and mix to a puree. Pour back into the bowl; add the Cognac or Armagnac and stir. Sweeten with the remaining simple sugar according to taste.
7. Cut the cake while still warm and serve with plenty of coulis.
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