Fez street food savory aromatic rich
Introduction
Moroccan cuisine is extremely varied, both in terms of its wide array of dishes and the ingredients that go into them, and in terms of centuries of influences such as Berber, Arab, Middle Eastern, Sephardic, Andalusian, Sephardic, and more.
Even within Morocco, the term “Moroccan Food” might mean very different things to different people. For some, it includes only the most traditional recipes and cooking techniques. For others, Moroccan food is ever-evolving, and a modern Moroccan cook is likely to prepare a repertoire of dishes that includes classic Moroccan recipes, international recipes, and fusion fare that combines different elements from different cuisines.
Moroccan Steamed Lamb Recipe
This traditional Moroccan Steamed Lamb recipe is often made in the days following Eid al-Adha, when generous cuts of meat are on hand after a home slaughter. Although not a fancy dish, it’s tender, tasty and quite satisfying with salt and cumin on the side for dipping.
Steamed lamb is easy to make, but be sure to allow several hours to steam the meat until it becomes buttery soft and falls off the bone. A large steamer or couscoussier will work as your cooking vessel, but I use a pressure cooker fitted with a steamer basket, which eliminates the need for cheesecloth and reduces the cooking time by half.
Or, you can try oven steaming instead of stove top steaming. This is explained in the recipe Notes.
Use shoulder, flank, ribs. If your steamer has room, carrots, potatoes or other vegetables such as green beans, turnips, zucchini or Brussels sprouts can be added during the second half of cooking for a well-balanced meal. Or, you can plan to steam or cook vegetables separately and arrange them on the serving platter around the meat.
How to make Moroccan Steamed Lamb
- In a large pot or pressure cooker that’s fitted with a steamer basket, bring a large quantity of salted water to a boil. Be sure the water level is below the bottom of your steamer basket.
- Meanwhile, mix the butter with the salt, pepper and saffron. Pierce each piece of meat with a sharp knife in several places and rub the butter mixture over the meat and into the slits.
- Pot method. Place the parsley, meat and onions into the steamer and fit it onto the pot. (Be sure no steam escapes from the joint where the steamer meets the pot. If steam escapes, see the Notes for how to seal the joint.) Cover the steamer basket with a layer of damp cheesecloth. Close the lid tightly, and steam the meat for 1 1/2 hours without peeking. Add the potatoes and carrots, cover tightly again, and continue steaming for another 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the meat can be pulled easily from the bone and the vegetables are tender.
- Pressure cooker method. Place the parsley, meat and onions into the steamer and fit into the pressure cooker. Close the lid tightly, and cook with pressure over medium heat for 1 hour. Add the potatoes and carrots, cover tightly again, and continue steaming for another 30 to 45 minutes, or until the meat can be pulled easily from the bone and the vegetables are tender.
- Serve the lamb with the onions, potatoes and carrots on a large platter with small dishes of salt and cumin for dipping the meat and vegetables.
Moroccan Chicken, Lamb or Beef M’qualli
This sweet and savory Moroccan dish features chicken, lamb or beef cooked m’qualli-style then garnished with a warm Moroccan pumpkin paste. The chicken version in particular is associated with Eid Al Mawlid, the remembrance of the Prophet’s birth.
Eid al Mawlid is an important day in Morocco as it is an occasion to reflect on ourselves and listen to some religious chants. Eid al Mawlid follows the lunar calculation. Although not officially observed in many Muslim countries, Moroccan schools and some businesses do take a day or two off.
Moroccan Culinary Traditions for Eid al Mawlid
As far as food is concerned, we have a regional breakfast tradition of serving a classic warm assida, a sort of semolina porridge served with butter and honey. As for lunch, the traditional dish is this delightful chicken m’qualli with its mderbel of pumpkin. Some choose to make a m’qualli of meat instead of chicken—it’s the same recipe apart from the cooking time—but the chicken version is the one associated with eid while meat might be preferred the rest of the year.
This recipe is the combination of how to make a m’qualli for sweet dishes and the recipe for sweet Moroccan pumpkin paste. It’s as easy as that.
Seffa Medfouna Recipe – Broken Vermicelli or Couscous with Chicken, Lamb or Beef
Mrouzia has witnessed centuries of changes. It made its way to Morocco from Egypt via Andalusia; the earliest documented recipe appears to be one found in the 13th century Anonymous Andalusian Cookbook.
Originally it was a form of sikbaj known as escabeche, which was a method of cooking with vinegar. As such, it was a sweet and sour dish that featured dried raisins and vinegar along with chicken.
Throughout the centuries, black cherries would be added as well as almonds at a later stage of the cooking. This particular combination, along with other fruits, was mentioned in an old Egyptian book.
In the 14th century, cookbook author Ibn Razin mentioned mrouzia under El Mu’assal (we now call it M’aassal), which is in reference to the sweetness from honey.
Mrouzia’s profile changed with the dropping of vinegar and the addition of spices. Other sweet dried fruits found their way to it such as dates, figs, and prunes along with honey (or more recently sugar).
Despite the absence of vinegar, sweet and sour should be the guideline when choosing the type and variety of dried fruits to be used in the dish.
So, although the flavor profile of mrouzia is undoubtedly sweet, the dish will be properly balanced by selecting raisins that are slightly sour or at least not of the sweetest variety.
The Italian Ambrogino/Ambrosina falls into this line of dishes too. Isn’t the world one small plate?!
So, here is our family recipe for mrouzia with more meat and less oil and sugar, yet still packed with incredible flavors. This dish keeps well in the refrigerator for up to two weeks and in the freezer for several months.
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