Recipes from the Maghreb

As promised, I'm gonna share recipes of some of the Moroccan delicacies I've tried to re-create in my kitchen. Most of these are native to North Africa in general and versions vary from country to country. The debate as to where the origins of Couscous/Tagine etc lie and which country has the best recipe is usually between Morocco and its rival-in-the-kitchen Tunisia. It's safe to assume though, that Morocco wins the contest hands down...:)
Secondly, some of these dishes may be hard for you to cook in your kitchen for lack of a Tagine or the authentic Moroccan spice mixes. However, if you manage to find suitable substitutes, do give them a try, for Moroccan cuisine is one agreeable to all kinds of palates and wont disappoint.
So on the menu today is a soup, an Omlette and a Tagine.

Harira
Its the staple soup in Morocco and is found on the menu at most retaurants. It's made from chickpeas and vermicelli and is a good fast-breaker during Ramzan in all of the Maghreb.

Ingredients

Chickpeas, 1 cup
Tomatoes, 2 nos
Onion, 1 no
Garlic, 5 cloves
Cilantro
Vermicelli, 25 gms
Olive Oil, 3 tbsp
Mutton stock or water, 750 ml
Ras-el-Hanouf - Moroccan 45 spice powder, 2 tbsp (Dont know the substitute for this, may be garam masala powder will do)
Moroccan white spice powder, 1 tbsp
Turmeric, 1 tbsp
salt and pepper to taste
Wheat flour, 2 tbsp

Method
Soak the chickpeas in water overnight. Fry the chopped onions and garlic cloves in olive oil till soft. Now add the chickpeas and cook on a low flame for 15 mins. Add salt and pepper to taste and the 45 spice mix, the white spice powder and the turmeric. Add the mutton stock/water and turn up the flame. Let it boil till the chickpeas turn soft. Puree the tomatoes and add to the boiling soup. Add the vermicelli. Dissolve the wheat flour in 1/2 cup water and add to the soup once the vermicelli is cooked. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with flatbread.

Omlette Berbere
This is the mother of all omlettes I've had so far and is usually cooked in a Tagine. It takes minimum effort, and if you dont fuck it up, gives stellar results.

Ingredients
Eggs, 3 nos
Tomato, 1 no finely choped
Onion, 1 no finely choped
Green Bell Pepper, 1 no finely choped
Garlic Cloves, 3 nos finely choped
Ras-el-Hanouf - Moroccan 45 spice powder, 1 tbsp
Moroccan white spice powder, 1 tbsp
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Olive Oil, 2 tbsp

Method
Heat the Olive Oil in a Tagine and fry the Onions and Bell Peppers till cooked. Add the garlic and saute for a minute. Add the salt, pepper and spice mixes and mix well. Add the tomatoes and cook for a minute till soft. Now add the eggs carefully, keeping the yolks intact, so that the eggs cover the rest of the ingredients. Turn the flame off immediately and cover the Tagine with the lid. The eggs will cook in the internal heat of the Tagine and the result is easily the best omlette you've ever had. Here's what it looks like.





Fish Tagine

Tagine cooking is like a sub-cuisine in itself and there are so many varieties, that one could write a book about it. This recipe is from Essaouira and is simple enough to make.

Ingredients
Fish, preferably Kingfish (less bony), 4 cross-section pieces
Tomato, 1 no chopped into quarters
Onion, 1 no chopped into squares
Green Bell Pepper, 1 no chopped into squares
Garlic Cloves, 5 nos finely chopped
Ras-el-Hanouf - Moroccan 45 spice powder, 2 tbsp
Moroccan white spice powder, 1 tbsp
Turmeric, 1 tbsp
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Olive Oil, 2 tbsp
Water, 1/2 cup

Method

Heat the Olive Oil in a Tagine and fry the Onions and Bell Peppers till cooked. Add the garlic and saute for a minute. Add the salt, pepper, turmeric and spice mixes and mix well. Add the Fish pieces and cover with the lid for a minute. Add the tomatoes and Mix well to spread the flavour of the spices evenly. Add 1/2 a cup of water and heat with lid on for a minute. Serve hot with flat bread.

This brings the sequence of Morocco posts to an end...an amazing eight months after the trip actually happened. An unquestionable proof of my lethargy.
Morocco has been one helluva fascinating discovery. Its incredible how much there is to see, do and eat in a country smaller than all its North African cousins. So fuck Egypt and the pyramids, if you want great food, Morocco is where its at.