Back then, 2012.
While the rest of humanity prepared for the Mayan Apocalypse, I was in the process of selling off ALL my belongings, the profits of which went towards a one-way ticket to Africa and a few months of vagabonding to, you know, “figure out my life.” While researching my first stop –a little known Kingdom called Morocco!– I came across an article about this peculiar dish called tagine. Growing up in an international family I’m naturally obsessed with global cuisine and this is my absolute favorite.
Even the name is sexy.
Say it with me, “Tah-Jeen.”
See! Don’t you feel more exotic?
No plans of visiting a Moroccan bazaar? A quick jaunt to Sur La Table will seal the gap between your grill and Marrakech as we travel together, in our shared craving for the exotic.
Oh, look at you with that shiny new Tagine. Welcome to a new you. Hi there. Here’s the thing. This is my favorite disk. Well, that I have personally made. so IMO, buying a tagine is a tremendous investment. Not only will you impress others but your abilities will be forever evolving. As this is one of the worlds most enchanting dishes.
But it was in the Kingdom itself that I had my first tagine. A friend of mine knew of a place, in a village way up in the Atlas Mountains, a day drive from Marrakech. The kind of place with rickety plastic tables, and shredded tarpaulins as tablecloths. Yet, where dining over the tagine was no less than a ceremony. It was dimly lit, in this crag on the mountain, in the banks of a river carrying icemelt from the previous winter.
We ordered the lamb which came out sizzling on a bed of onions, carrots and garlic surrounded by green olives, dates, and preserved lemons in a rich oily sauce. This being my first meal in 21 hours I dug in eagerly. It may be cliche but this truly was a surreal experience, chowing down, pouring mint tea late into the night.
The next evening I found myself lost in the ancient markets, stumbling down cobbled alleys and seeking to end the craving, like some junkie, shuffling for my next fix and finally with feverish delight slipping through the corridor of an invite-only restaurant: where belly dancers, in sheer skirts and charming bras, were swaying about as clouds of hookah smoke billowed about to the tunes of a hypnotic flute.
…good memories. #takemeback.
Now, back in the states, I’ve had to learn to master the dish for those frequent cravings. This is the most true, and most manageable recipe i’ve found online.
Image and recipe by the Ethnic Spoon
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup onion chopped
- 1 cup water
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 Roma tomato cored and diced
- 1/4 cup peas frozen
- 3 carrots sliced
- 2 Tb olive oil
- 1 tsp curry
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 Tb fresh parsley chopped
- 1 tsp Kosher salt (paleo diet: sea salt)
- 3 lbs chicken whole roaster cut into pieces
- 1 lb potatoes (paleo diet: sweet potatoes)
FOR FULL RECIPE & INSTRUCTIONS CHECK OUT The Ethnic Spoon. I absolutely love Analida’s blog and recipes. They’re among my go-to websites.
Et Voila! Have you come across any dishes abroad that left a huge impression?
N. Andriani
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that dish looks so delicious..
and all the ingredient are easy to find in any store.
Sounds delicious. I loved tagine the first three weeks I was in Morocco… after that I needed a break, but it is so tasty!
Haha completely understand. Tajine is something of a miracle, in small doses! What was you favorite dish in Morocco? I nearly always answer tajine, but my heart says Bastilla.
My goodness, that looks incredibly delicious! I saw you stopped by my blog, and I’m so glad you did because it led me to yours. You seem to have a lot of great stories and I can’t wait to read more of them!
You’ve inspired me!
I’m been drooling over a tagine for awhile now, but haven’t been able to justify buying one. I just put up a batch of preserved lemons and I’ve found a beer to brew with sumac, so the time might finally be right (after I buy a dutch cheese press.)
Hey Eklie!
Ever get around to brewing that Sumac Beer? Or aging those dutch cheeses? 😉
[…] have included some unusual dining pleasures. Until I read his blog, I had no idea what a Tagine was or how important it is to Middle Eastern cooking. I love his recipe for what looks like a very […]
I grew up in the Middle East – Kuwait / Egypt – and the tagine, although not as popular as in Morocco, is a dish you’d have from time to time… Thank you for bringing back these childhood memories 🙂
[…] How to Tagine by Yallah, Bye […]
Sounds delish! 🙂
Ah, the tajine!
It’s become something like pizza in my mythology of food. Whip it up for a party or for binge-eating, while at the same time you can make the most refined, exquisit dish with tajine.
Have you ever tried it?
Yes. A restaurant in my home town does a beautiful lamb tagine with apricots and almonds. 🙂
Envy! I’ve only recently discovered a restaurant with tagine on the menu so, inshallah, i’ll find a more convenient method of consuming tagine. It’s really a blast to experiment with the dish though.
[…] Andriani This traveler specializes in “Adventure Travel and Gastronomy”—his latest piece, “How to Tagine,” focuses on the earthenware pot of the same name (central to Moroccan cooking) along with a […]
Masha’Allah! That looks fantastic! The tagine is such a useful tool. Aside from the blender, it’s my second favourite item in the kitchen as everything that goes into it comes out tasting divine.
In terms of dishes that left an impression: I went mad for 1) bitter gourd and 2) a fried lentil/jaggery ball while in India that I was determined to learn how to make. After many fruitless attempts, I haven’t come close to perfecting those dishes. Oh well…it’s the journey, no?
Shukran jazeelan! Haha, right! The tajine can do no wrong. It’s safe to say, sans electricity, tajine reins supreme.
Ah, the bitter gourd! How did you have it? I’m actually very fond of bitter flavors so it’s on my list of foods to seek out. I need to research this jaggery ball. I can safely assume that like all Indian lentil dishes, this must be a treat also. Keep up the work. My first attempt making lamb tajine really missed the mark, a year later I’m cooking with the confidence of a Berber.
Thanks for sharing your experiences.