by Magda Lahliti
At LFBK, we’re lucky to have such a unique & diverse team to share their love of culture and food! Born in the Alsace region of France to Moroccan parents, Magda learned at a young age to artfully combine French recipes with North African spices and classic Moroccan dishes. Here she shares her mom’s authentic lamb tagine - an easy and flavorful recipe to add to your cooking repertoire!
This traditional Moroccan tagine recipe comes from my dear mom, Malika.
Moroccan tagine is a classic North African dish. The low and slow cooking process, usually in a classic clay tagine pot creates a delectable stew infused with rich flavors. Tagine ingredients and spices vary from region-to-region. Though no two are alike, they’re equally delicious!
Moroccan recipes are mostly taught orally through practice and observation. My mom was a passionate cook--a master at Moroccan, French and Italian recipes. Whenever in the kitchen, she invited me to watch and help her cook our family recipes. She taught me most of our ancestral Moroccan dishes as well as French and Italian recipes she learned while working at restaurants for many years.
This recipe can be made vegan. If you don't eat meat, just replace the lamb with Seitan and it will be absolutely delicious.
Tagine can be made in a regular dutch oven or slow cooker - but a tagine pot imparts such beautiful flavors! Keep in mind, if you use a tagine pot on a gas stove, make sure to use a heat diffuser and do not set it directly on the gas flame.
This recipe is for 4 people. You will need:
1.5 pounds Lamb cubes or 3 packs classic Seitan
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon cilantro chopped finely (save some for garnish)
1 garlic clove chopped
1 yellow onion thinly sliced.
A pinch of saffron
1 teaspoon ginger powder
1 teaspoon Ras el Hanout, (a Moroccan spice blend available in Arabic and Indian spice shops or Amazon!)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Salt and pepper to your taste
About 10 prunes pitted and boiled until soft. (Boil in a separate pan with a third of a cup of water. Turn off the heat once boiling. Let cool, drain and roughly chop)
Skinless almonds roasted until just golden
Couscous and bread (to serve on the side)
In your tagine pot, add the olive oil and warm for 30 seconds. Add onions, cilantro, lamb or Seitan, spices and let them brown for 2-3 mins.
Once browned add enough water to cover all the ingredients, mix and cover with lid. Let cook on low heat for about 1 hour. Make sure there is enough water so the ingredients do not stick to the pot. If you have a real tagine pot, add half a cup of water only, as the tagine steam will add more water naturally.
Add the prunes with some water 5 minutes before the end. Stir stew together and plate.
Garnish with roasted almonds and remaining cilantro. Enjoy with some warm bread or a side of couscous.
Bon Appétit! Shahiat Tayiba!