Recipes.
L7em M3 Br9oo9
(meat with prunes)
Photos do not do this dish justice. L7em m3 Br9oo9 (or Lhem ma brkook in an English accent if you’re stressing about the title, the numbers resemble some Arabic letters so sometimes its typed like that but anyway) it is a classic Moroccan tagine. We call this tagine wedding food- and if you know Moroccans we do not play about our weddings nor our food. So beware, & do not let yourself be fooled by this humble photo, she’s not photogenic. It's one of those dishes that I am so proud to have up my sleeve. If you’re ever looking to impress, start here. Believe it or not, it's not even hard. It just takes like 2 hours. But you shouldn’t be looking to impress. Embracing and fortifying a love for cooking is just a beautiful quality to have, even if it’s just for you. Gotta mention, lamb can be pricey depending on your budget might run you $40 for the meat. But so worth it every now and again- especially for celebrations! This recipe feeds 4-5.
P.S. get you meat from a halal butcher. Quality is top-notch.
Ingredients for Meat Marinade (on a large plate):
Spoon Ginger
Spoon Turmeric
Spoon Salt
Spoon Cinnamon
Black pepper (small spoon)
1/2 cup saffron water
A couple of garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 onion
3lbs lamb shoulder (make sure they are pre-cut into medium size pieces (not small, not large- medium)
Instructions:
Mix the meat with the marinade ingredients on a big plate. Mix well.
Transfer to a pressure cooker set it on sautee mode for now and let it cook a little flipping it over on each side just for a couple minutes and then add:
2 cinnamon sticks
1 star anise
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup avocado oil or olive oil
Cook a few more minutes, mixing and flipping.
Add 1 1/2 onion, cut into semi-large dices
Add another 1/2 cup saffron water.
Put the lid on, set it to stew/meat setting on high pressure mode, and let it sit in the cooker for a good 2 hours.
Remove the top of the pressure cooker and let the water evaporate so the sauce thickens (don’t let it get too thick bc it'll continue to thicken once its plated and cools a bit, but also don't be in a rush taking it out while its still runny) Once the sauce is ready you can turn off the pressure cooker.
Ingredients for the Prunes:
(start and this right after you set the meat to cook)
Pitted dried prunes (cleaned and boiled)
1 cinnamon stick
Little Salt (don’t overdue it babe)
Little Honey
Little Rose water
Little Butter
1 spoon cinnamon
Instructions for Prunes:
Boil the prunes with the above ingredients.
Once it reaches a boil, reduce to low heat.
When the sauce is thick, put the sauce and prunes on top of the meat before serving.
Add almonds to the dish if you’d like. (frying them first is the way to go)
Serve hot with crusty bread. Or just dig in without if you’re trying to be good.
Chicken Mchermal
Chicken legs with skin (6 pieces):
Clean it well and let it sit in the fridge with lemon juice and vinegar overnight. I like to keep my lemon halves under the skin of the chicken & around the chicken.
Ingredients for Marinade (Charmoula):
1 tablespoon saffron water (prepared by soaking saffron in warm water for 10 minutes, you can leave any extra in the fridge & use it for other dishes, only use a pinch or two of dry saffron)
Pulp of 1 large preserved lemon (or 2 small ones) keep the skin, and keep them pretty (aka dont dice em up) we’ll use later
Handful of fresh cilantro and parsley (finely chopped)
2 garlic cloves (grated)
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1/4 spoon black pepper
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Ingredients for Tagine:
3 onions (grated)
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
Pinch of salt
Pinch of turmeric
1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)
Handful of green olives (or kalamata works too I prefer pitted)
Skin of 1 preserved lemon (cut into quarters)
Instructions:
Preparing Ingredients
Prepare saffron water and set aside.
Separate pulp and skin of preserved lemon (chop pulp for marinade, reserve skin).
Chop parsley, cilantro, and garlic.
Marinating Chicken
Mix parsley, cilantro, preserved lemon pulp, garlic, paprika, ginger, cumin, pepper, saffron water, and olive oil to make charmoula.
Coat chicken with the marinade and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.
Cooking the Tagine
Spread grated onions in the bottom of the tagine (use a tagine if you can) with a little olive oil.
Sprinkle salt and turmeric on onions.
Place chicken on top of the onions with leftover charmoula.
Cook on low-medium heat with a diffuser for 15–20 minutes until juices are released. Cover with top.
Add lemon juice and olives, then top with preserved lemon skins. Reduce heat to low and cook until chicken is tender (about 1 hour or more). Cover with top.
Remove chicken and broil in the oven for 5–10 minutes until golden. Put the lemon skins and olive in a little bowl.
Meanwhile, continue cooking the sauce in the tagine uncovered until thickened. Do not over stir. Be careful not to burn the onions. Let them simmer on medium low heat and keep a careful eye.
Once the sauce is thickened return the chicken back to the tagine and add the lemon skin and olives back
Not gonna lie, this one takes some time & energy, but also so worth it. It can be a bit tricky so be precise with all the ingredients and their respective amounts. Save this recipe when you have the bandwidth, energy, and are in the mood to learn your next best dish. Or again, if you want to impress some guests. But practice a couple of times on your own fam first! One plus about this one though- it’s more affordable than the other meat-tagines. Feeds 4-6.
Mrouzia
Ingredients
1 lb (500 g) lamb or beef (shoulder or neck) typically made with lamb
½ tbsp Ras El Hanout (Moroccan spice mix) gotta go to the arab grocery for this & no you cant make mrouzia without this
½ tsp ground ginger
Large pinch saffron threads
½ tsp salt (to taste)
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 onion, grated
½ cup (75 g) dried prunes (or raisins if preferred)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp (28 g) butter
1 tsp smen (clarified butter, optional)
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tbsp honey
Whole raw almonds (for frying)
Fried blanched almonds (for garnish)
Instructions
Marinate the Meat
In a bowl, mix Ras El Hanout, ground ginger, saffron, salt, and pepper with a little water.
Coat the lamb (or beef) with the marinade.
Cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
Prepare Ingredients
Peel and grate the onion.
Soak prunes in hot water for 1–2 hours.
Cook Mrouzia
In a heavy pot, heat the oil, butter, and smen over medium heat.
Add grated onion and cook for a few minutes.
Add the marinated meat and brown on all sides (about 5 minutes).
Add the cinnamon sticks and cover the meat with water.
Cover and cook on medium-high heat until the meat is tender (about 2–2½ hours), checking every 20 minutes, stirring, and adding hot water as needed.
When the meat is tender (make sure its soft), remove the cinnamon sticks. Add drained prunes and honey.
Uncover and cook on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes (could be longer, keep an eye on it), until the sauce thickens.
Plate the meat, top with prunes, pour sauce over, and garnish with fried almonds.
Serve with Moroccan bread or French baguette.
Mrouzia takes a lot of work, this is a labor of love. If you’re ever needing to let someone know you care- in Morocco this is how we do it. It’s kind of similar to Lhem ma brkook, because it’s both savory and sweet (which is a Moroccan cuisine speciality). In it’s original form Mrouzia is made with raisons, but I prefer pitted dried prunes.
Fish & Veggies
This one’s not Moroccan, but it’s a staple in my house. Simple, fresh, light, yet filling. I recommend getting haddock fish (fresh, not frozen) but other kinds of white fish work too like cod, but haddock is the best. Quick dinner. Feeds 4-5.
Ingredients
Fish
2.5–3 lbs haddock (cleaned and cut into halves or thirds)
Handful parsley, chopped
Handful cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon garlic (minced or paste)
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼–½ teaspoon salt (to taste)
2–3 tablespoons avocado oil
Veggies
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, diced
1–2 packs tri-colored cherry tomatoes (halved)
2–3 sprigs fresh thyme (or ½ teaspoon dried)
1 lemon (zest only)
1–2 tablespoons butter
Few handfuls fresh spinach
Salt (to taste)
Black pepper (to taste)
Olive oil (for cooking)
Instructions
Fish
Clean the haddock fish thoroughly with some lemon juice and cold water, then cut into halves or thirds depending on size.
Allow excess water to drain.
Pat dry, then place the fish into a mixing bowl.
Add parsley, cilantro, paprika, turmeric, garlic, black pepper, salt, and avocado oil.
Mix until fish is evenly coated.
Place in air fryer and cook for 12 minutes.
Veggies
In a pan, drizzle olive oil and add diced garlic. Let it sizzle lightly without burning.
Add the halved cherry tomatoes and stir briefly. Cover the pan with a lid.
Once the tomatoes have softened halfway, add thyme, salt, black pepper, lemon zest, and butter. Stir well.
Add a few handfuls of spinach, cover with lid, and allow to soften.
Stir everything together once spinach has wilted.
Plate the veggie mixture first, then place the fish on top.
Serve hot.
Kufta Tomato Tagine
Ingredients for the Sauce (Tagine Base):
Drizzle of olive oil
3 onions (shredded)
Sprinkle of salt
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 garlic cloves (diced)
4 tomatoes (shredded, not diced – should be watery)
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 tablespoon salt
Ingredients for the Kufta (Meatballs):
250 g ground beef
Handful of parsley (chopped)
1/2 spoon black pepper
1/2 spoon salt
1 spoon smoked paprika
1 spoon ginger
1 tablespoon olive oil (or slightly more if needed)
Instructions:
For the Sauce
In a tagine, drizzle olive oil and heat on medium-low.
Add shredded onions and a sprinkle of salt. Stir until browned
Add tomato paste and diced garlic. Stir well. Lower heat all the way down while you shred 4 tomatoes (juicy not chunky)
Add shredded tomatoes and all the spices (paprika, coriander, cumin, ginger, turmeric, black pepper, salt).
Sprinkle parsley on the sauce.
Stir for about 5 minutes (could be longer, keep an eye on the thickness of the sauce) and let the water evaporate a bit and then cover over with the lid as you prep your meat.
For the Kufta
In a bowl, mix ground beef with parsley, black pepper, salt, smoked paprika, ginger, and olive oil.
Mix thoroughly with hands, then shape into small balls.
Cooking
Place the meatballs into the simmering tomato sauce in the tagine (medium heat). Cover and cook for about 8 minutes.
Flip the meatballs and cook for another 8 minutes.
Sprinkle a little more parsley before serving.
Serve hot with bread.
I will never get over how simple, easy, quick yet delicious this tagine is. Honestly, if I were just starting to cook I would start here. Easily can become a staple in the house. Takes about 30-40 minutes to make, more affordable than the other recipes & full of flavor.
L3dis
(lentils)
Lentil soup! Cant go wrong. Pairs really well with the fish & veggies dish!
Ingredients
1 tomato, shredded
1 onion, shredded
5 garlic cloves, shredded
Handful of parsley, chopped
1 cup olive oil (reserve some for later)
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp salt (to taste)
½ tbsp black pepper
1 basil leaf (or bay leaf if preferred)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup green or brown lentils (rinsed and cleaned)
Water (enough to cover lentils in pressure cooker)
Instructions
Rinse the lentils in a bowl, stir, and set aside.
In a pressure cooker, add lentils, shredded onion, shredded tomato, parsley, olive oil (reserve a little for later), shredded garlic, salt, turmeric, ginger, and black pepper.
Fill with water until lentils are just submerged. Stir well.
Cover the pressure cooker and cook for 10 minutes after the steam begins to release.
Once done, open the cooker and add tomato paste, a little more olive oil, cumin, and the basil/bay leaf. Stir well.
Simmer briefly if needed, then serve hot.
Veggie Soup
This is a staple in our fridge. It's always in there when we need it. Alhamdulilah. It is such a simple and light soup but oof does it go a long way. It is filling, healthy, and easy to make. (Personally, I like to add just a touch more of black pepper bc I like it kinda spicy it feels like the perfect kick especially when you’re sick). You can always get creative and add veggies too, sometimes we add zucchini or squash/pumpkin. If we have it and just need to use it before it goes bad- throw it in there. (but if you’re making this for the first time stick to the recipe and experiment after you’ve got it down).
Ingredients
Ingredients:
2 tomatoes
2 small potatoes (or 1 large one)
A couple of carrots
A couple of celery sticks
1 turnip
1 leek
Handful of cilantro & parsley
1 spoon turmeric
1 spoon ginger
1 spoon salt
1 spoon paprika
1/4 spoon black pepper (or more for extra spice)
½ cup olive oil or avocado oil (avocado is healthier if you’re using oil to cook)
Few large spoons of tomato paste
Vermicelli
Instructions
Place all ingredients in a pressure cooker. Cook for 15 minutes.
Add a few large spoons of tomato paste.
Using a hand blender, blend all the softened veggies until smooth.
Add sharba (vermicelli- you can get this at an arab grocery also) immediately after blending. Here’s a photo.
Ready to serve.
Moroccan Salad
Ingredients
Ingredients:
2 tomatoes
quarter of an onion
some parsley, little cilantro (also can do without either of these)
1/2 tbsp khil (vinegar you can find at the arab store or just regular white vinegar is fine)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt (can add more a tad more if you want)
1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
Cut tomato and onion into tiny pieces and place in a bowl
Mince the parsley and cilantro, place in the bowl
Add olive oil and vinegar
Add salt and black pepper
Mix with a spoon
Serve with bread, or just eat with spoon.
Moroccan salad is so simple, but incredibly refreshing and yummy. This is also a staple, its always in the fridge whenever we want a quick and healthy snack. Alhamdulilah.
