Karantika

Name: Karantika
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Ingredients: 200 g chickpea flour; 700 ml water; 80 ml neutral vegetable oil; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp cumin; 1 egg (optional); 1 tsp harissa (optional); 4 slices crusty bread / baguette (optional)

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

كرنتيكا · Karantika

A soft, custardy baked slab of chickpea flour, oil and water with a golden top, sold hot in Algerian streets in a baguette with cumin and harissa.

Karantika is an Algerian street food, ready in about 1 hour 20 minutes and made with chickpea flour. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking

No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 40 min
Rest: 30 min
Total: 1 h 20 min
Serves: 4
Level: Easy
Calories: 358

Ingredients

4 servings

200 g Chickpea flour (opens in a new tab)
700 ml Water (opens in a new tab)
80 ml Neutral vegetable oil (opens in a new tab)Swap: Olive oil
1 tsp (6 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)
1 tsp (2 g) Cumin (opens in a new tab)Half in the batter, half sprinkled on top.
1 (50 g) Egg (opens in a new tab) (optional)Some vendors add an egg for a firmer set and glossy top.Contains eggs
1 tsp (5.5 g) Harissa (opens in a new tab) (optional)To serve.
4 slices (140 g) Crusty bread / baguette (opens in a new tab) (optional)Or split baguettes, for the sandwich.Contains wheat, gluten

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Whisk (opens in a new tab) the chickpea flour (opens in a new tab) with the water, oil, salt and half the cumin (opens in a new tab) (and the egg (opens in a new tab), if using) until completely smooth. Rest 30 minutes.
- 5 min
- Whisk (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels
2
Step 2
Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 220 °C with an oiled baking dish (opens in a new tab) (about 20 × 30 cm) inside.
- 10 min
- 220°C
- Oven (opens in a new tab)
- Baking dish (opens in a new tab)
3
Step 3
Whisk (opens in a new tab) the batter again and pour into the hot dish; it should be about 2 cm deep. Bake until set with a golden, slightly blistered top.
- 40 min
- 220°C
4
Step 4
Cool for 5 minutes, sprinkle with the remaining cumin (opens in a new tab) and cut into squares. Serve hot in bread with a little harissa (opens in a new tab).
- 5 min
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: Oran, Algeria · Commonly attributedUsually linked to Oran, where its name is thought to come from the Spanish 'caliente'. The details of its origin are anecdotal.Also popular in MoroccoMore food from Algeria
Dish: Breakfast · Lunch · Snack · Street food · Finger food
Cooking method: Oven-baked
Taste: savoury, earthy, creamy
Diet: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Carb-conscious
Without the optional extras: Vegan, Plant-based, Lacto-vegetarian, No gluten ingredients, Egg-freeWith the listed swaps: Whole-food focusedWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Street food · Budget-friendly
Cook more with: Chickpea flour · Cumin
Techniques: Baking

Allergens

Contains, can be adapted: Eggsfrom egg
Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom crusty bread / baguette
Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom crusty bread / baguette
May contain: Sesamefrom crusty bread / baguette

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

358 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 245 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

Protein 13%
Carbohydrate 32%
Fat 55%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	358 kcal	146 kcal
Protein	11.3 g	4.6 g
Carbohydrate	29.1 g	11.9 g
Net carbohydrate	23.7 g	9.7 g
Sugars	5.4 g	2.2 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	5.5 g	2.2 g
Fat	21.9 g	8.9 g
Saturated fat	1.7 g	0.7 g
Trans fat	0.1 g	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	619 mg	252 mg
Salt equivalent	1.5 g	0.6 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 433 mg
Calcium: 45 mg
Iron: 2.8 mg
Magnesium: 88 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 1 µg
Vitamin C: 0 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 219 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: egg, harissa, crusty bread / baguette.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

The middle should stay soft and creamy; it firms as it cools.

Common mistakes

Pouring batter into a cold dish gives a pale, soggy base.

Serve with

In a split baguette with cumin, salt and harissa — the classic street snack.

Storage

Best eaten hot; keeps 1 day in the fridge.

Reheating

Reheat in a hot oven for 8 minutes.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 27 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Compare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Chickpea flour200 g
Egg (optional)1 piece · 50 g
Crusty bread / baguette (optional)4 slice · 140 g

Used in steps 1, 4

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

Mix and knead · about 10 min
Knead until smooth and soft; it should feel like an earlobe.
Rest · about 30 min
Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.
Bake · about 40 min at 220 °C
Puffed with golden-brown spots on both sides.
Cool · about 5 min
Cool on a rack before slicing — the crumb is still setting; cutting hot bread makes it gummy.
Start to finish: about 1 h 25 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

If something goes wrong

Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Crust too hard or thick
Likely causes
- Baked too long at too low a temperature
- No steam at the start
What to do
- Bake hotter for a shorter time
- Add steam for the first 15 minutes (tray of boiling water, or a covered Dutch oven)
- Cool under a tea towel for a softer crust

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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