With influences from French, Spanish, Jewish, and Arab cultures, Moroccan cuisine is a melting pot of exotic dishes. Get to know the intriguing cuisine by giving these recipes a try. Your taste buds will surely be treated to a whole new world of tremendous flavors. Subtle spices and interesting flavor combinations (i.e. pigeon meat pie with cinnamon and icing sugar) make these dishes unique and delicious. So what are you waiting for? Spice up your lunch or dinner with these feisty Moroccan recipes!
1. Moroccan Chicken Tagine
Tagine is a traditional Moroccan stew made with spiced meat and vegetables. Common proteins include beef, lamb, and goat meat, but this recipe calls for chicken. Potatoes and green olives add heartiness and flavor to the stew, not to mention additional color. Flour is used to ensure that the broth is nice and thick. Slow-cooking ensures that the meat and veggies are infused with flavor from garlic, onion, paprika, cinnamon, ginger, and coriander. Traditionally, tagine is cooked in a clay pot with a tall, cone-shaped lid. To recreate this dish, however, any heavy-covered skillet will do.
2. Moroccan Khobz Recipe (Moroccan White Bread)
The Moroccan khobz or white bread is present at most African meals. Its other names include kesra and agroum. It is a type of flatbread, but it’s fatter and thicker. In fact, it can be over an inch thick! Just like most bread, khobz has a crisp and coarse exterior and a tender interior. Moroccans usually eat with their hands, and this bread is handy for scooping up meats, salads, and stews. It can also be sliced open and filled with meats and sandwich spreads. It’s available in every bakery, shop, and grocery store in Morocco, but it’s not as ubiquitous here in America. With this recipe, you’re one step closer to a loaf of khobz.
3. Moroccan Couscous with Roasted Vegetables
This classic Moroccan recipe is loaded with roasted vegetables, almonds, and chickpeas. It’s a healthy and hearty dish that’s best served as a side dish to chicken or fish. From garlic and onion to carrots, bell peppers, and zucchini, this couscous is packed not just with flavor, but color as well. Chickpeas, almonds, raisins, and couscous give you a medley of textures for an exciting bite. Adding flavor to the couscous is a wonderful blend of spices. I’m talking turmeric, cinnamon, coriander, and cumin. Fresh cilantro and mint, too!
4. Moroccan Chickpea and Apricot Tagine
Here’s another tagine recipe for you, but this time, it’s plant-based. That way, everybody gets to enjoy the goodness of a hearty tagine! Loaded with chickpeas, apricots, and toasted almonds, this tagine will rock your world. Infused with warm spices, it’s so satisfying you won’t even miss the meat. This recipe uses dried apricots, but dates work well, too. The dried fruit regains moisture while cooking, so they’re super nice and juicy. Their sweet and chewy nature pair really well with almonds, too!
5. Harcha (Moroccan Semolina Bread)
Harcha or Moroccan semolina bread looks a lot like an English muffin, but its texture is more akin to cornbread. It’s a wonderful mash-up of two breads we know and love. The word harcha means rough, which describes the bread’s coarse exterior due to the semolina. Just like most bread, it’s typically eaten during breakfast or afternoon tea and is delicious with cheese, butter, honey, jam, chocolate, and other spreads. It’s also amazing when dipped in olive oil. So simple, yet so good!
6. Bessara (Fava Bean Dip or Soup)
Bessara or fava bean dip is made by pureeing dried split fava beans. It’s very basic, but when mixed with a bit of olive oil and seasoned with cayenne pepper and cumin, it gets transformed into a stunning dish. This classic is popular in North Morocco, where it is eaten as either a standalone dish or a side dish to fish. It can also be enjoyed with crusty bread for breakfast or dinner with a glass of Moroccan mint tea.
7. Moroccan Carrot and Chickpea Salad
Carrots and chickpeas – if you think about it, this combo doesn’t sound exciting at all. But wait until you try it! Bright colors and aromatic spices make this salad one of a kind. The salad itself is loaded with grated carrots, slivered almonds, chickpeas, and currants. That alone is already a medley of contrasting flavors and textures. Giving it even more life are mint, garlic, and a dressing made of honey, orange juice, olive oil, and warming spices. Plus, this colorful and savory salad is made with ingredients that are probably already in your pantry! So you can enjoy the taste of Morocco without ever leaving home.
8. Moroccan Lentil Soup
Lentil soup is made a thousand times more flavorful by a blend of cumin, turmeric, paprika, saffron, and ginger, among many other spices. If you’re feeling a little chilly, a bowl of this lentil soup will warm you right up. Pair it with a slice of naan bread for a filling meal. It’s such a flavorful soup you’ll be surprised that it only takes 30 minutes to make!
9. Preserved Lemons
If you find yourself falling in love with Moroccan cuisine, you better learn how to make preserved lemons. In Morocco, if life gives you lemons, you preserve them! Moroccan dishes usually call for preserved lemons. Bottled in brine for months, they make an intense seasoning perfect for stews, salads, and sauces. Sure, it takes at least a month to cure, but it requires very little hands-on prep and the result is worth it.
10. Moroccan Lamb Stew
Lamb stew is a hearty stand-alone dish that’s brimming with color and flavor. Gamey lamb is braised in flavorful broth until fork-tender and made heartier with chickpeas, carrots, and potatoes. This dish is super tasty, super filling, and oh so easy to make! In fact, it’s impossible to mess up. Watch it disappear from the dinner table in minutes! Click on a star to rate it!
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