Recipe
Amlou — almond paste with argan oil
- Herb:
- Argan Argania spinosa
- Method:
- Culinary use
- Plant part:
- Fruit
About 20 minBeginnerRecipe science profile
Procedure
- Toast the almonds in a dry pan or the oven until golden and let them cool.
- Grind them in a mill or blender to a fine paste — it takes a few minutes, the mass turns oily by itself.
- Stirring constantly, pour in the argan oil until a smooth, runny paste forms; season with a pinch of salt.
- Stir in honey to taste. Serve with bread, keep in a jar in the cold and stir before use.
Extraction
- Herb:
- 250 ml of edible argan oil, 250 g of almonds, 100 g of honey
- Solvent:
- no extraction — a paste of roasted almonds, oil and honey
- Shelf life:
- several weeks in a sealed jar in a cool place; the oil separates, stir before serving
- Target compounds:
- the oil provides oleic and linoleic acids, tocopherols and a characteristic roasted aroma
Notes
A traditional Moroccan breakfast spread. Use culinary (roasted) argan oil, not the cosmetic grade. No particular risks; contains nuts.
Why it works
Amlou is a culinary emulsion of fat, honey and almond protein; argan oil brings unsaturated fatty acids and tocopherols, for which Charrouf's review summarises mostly laboratory and a few small observational data. The catalogue holds no 'healthiest oil' claim.
Literature
- Charrouf Z, Guillaume D (2008): Argan oil: Occurrence, composition and impact on human health. Eur J Lipid Sci Technol 110:632–636 — Review of the composition and production of argan oil; few clinical studies.
Related
Argan — Herb card
Culinary use — Processing method detail