طجينْ الكْفْتَة وْ الْبيظْ/KBM/Moroccan Kefta Tagine with Tomato and Eggs!/Tajine Kefta Marocain aux Oeufs et Tomates (Kefta bel bayd w maticha)!

طجينْ الكْفْتَة وْ الْبيظْ
KBM

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 Moroccan Tagine: How To Cook An Authentic Moroccan Tagine/Tajine

Today I'm sharing KBM, which is a Moroccan Kefta Tagine that I made a few weeks ago ("K" stands for Kefta, "B" for bayd, which means eggs, and "M" for Maticha, which means tomato).  I've received several e-mails from readers, requesting the recipe for this dish, and first I would like to apologize for the delay.  Kefta Tagine is a divine meal prepared with tomatoes, kefta and eggs, and the happy marriage of these three (3) ingredients has made this Tagine the national dish in Morocco, after of course Bastilla or Pastilla (Moroccan Pie), Couscous/Saksou, Safa/Seffa and Mrouzia/Mroaziya. 

What is Kefta or K'fta? Pronounced as (K-FTA) in Moroccan Dialect, it simply means minced or ground meat, of either beef or lamb (or a combination of the two), or chicken or turkey.  Kefta is typically mixed in a marinade of few ingredients; traditionally, it is olive oil, salt, ground cumin, red paprika, ground black pepper, minced onion, minced garlic and chopped coriander/parsley.  The mix and Kefta are kneaded thoroughly to distribute flavorings through the meat, then rolled into small meatballs.

Kefta dishes is still made from recipes handed down from generation to generation.  It is absolutely delicious, it appeals to everyone, especially kids and it is fun to make if you know how to play round with different flavours and seasonings. Variations are limitless to the standard and traditional recipe: from different meat, spices, herbs, vegetables , and from little balls to cigar shapes, or from steaming cooking Tagine method, to brochettes, frying version etc..... Each region in Morocco has its own version of Kefta and all tastes great!  Some prefers to add  extra hot spices such as ground cinnamon or cloves, or to leave off the eggs, or to use chopped fresh mint leaves as a replacement for parsley/coriander, etc.....

Kefta Tagine, loosely termed, as one of those dishes that everyone thinks he/she can easily cook, and turn out incredibly well!  That's not true. Those who have claimed such a thing are spectacularly mistaken and in fact I’ve met very few people who can cook a tasty Kefta Tagine, which is almost surprising!  So today I'll be posting my mother's recipe, a traditional version, but just remember not to to underestimate the cooking, attention and all spices/herbs mix, and if for some reasons, you choose to take shortcuts, this does not count as making a truly, exquisite Moroccan Kefta Tagine.

Traditionally, lamb kefta is used for this recipe, but my family are not standalone ground lamb persons, so I decided to go for beef Kefta instead.  This Tagine can be prepared in advance and reheated over a very low heat, then add the eggs, usually 2 or 3 per Tagine, then cook briefly and gentlly, or decorate the dish with hard-boiled eggs cut in half, and finally sprinkle some ground cumin on top. Traditionally, it is served as a main course with French fries, and side dishes or salads, entrées, etc...and of course with a lot and a lot of nice home-made bread.  Enjoy!

Recipe, and Photos by Mamatkamal

 Click the link below to learn more! / Cliquez sur le lien pour en savoir plus!

 Moroccan Tagine: How To Cook An Authentic Moroccan Tagine/Tajine

Ingredients:

For Kefta Seasoning Blend / Mélange d'épices pour Kefta:

-500 gr beef Kefta / 500 gr Kefta de boeuf

-1/2 medium onion, chopped very finely or grated /  1/2 oignon moyen, finement haché ou râpé

-2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped or grated / 2 gousses d'ail, hachées finement ou râpées

-1 teaspoon red paprika / 1 c à café ou à thé de paprika rouge ou piment doux

-1 teaspoon ground cumin / 1 c à café ou à thé de cumin en poudre

-Some salt to taste / Un peu de sel selon le goût

-1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper / 1/ 4 c à café ou à thé de poivre noir moulu

-4 tablespoons fresh parsley and coriander leaves, chopped / 4 c à soupe de feuilles fraîches de persil et coriandre hachées finement

-1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice / 1 c à soupe jus de citron frais


For cooking Tagine Kefta with Tomato Sauce / Pour préparer Tajine Kefta avec Sauce Tomate:

-About 500 gr fresh, ripe tomatoes, grated or chopped in blender/ Environ 500 gr de tomates bien mûres, râpées ou passées au robot

-1/4 teaspoon tomato puree or tomato paste / 1/4 c à thé ou à café concentré de tomates ou pâte de tomate

-1/2 medium onion, chopped very finely or grated /  1/2 oignon moyen, finement haché ou râpé

-1 clove garlic, very finely chopped or grated / 1 gousse d'ail, hachée finement ou râpée

-1 teaspoon red paprika / 1 c à café ou à thé de paprika rouge ou piment doux

-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin / 1/2 c à café ou à thé de cumin en poudre

-Some salt to taste / Un peu de sel selon le goût

-1/4 teaspoon of sodaniya powder (known as soudaniya ghobra in Morocco) or you can use hot red paprika or  red chilli powder or Tunisian Harissa.  Only for spicy food lovers! / 1/4 c à thé ou à café de sodaniya poudre (qu'on appelle soudaniya ghobra au Maroc) ou utilisez chilli en poudre ou Harissa tunisienne.  A ajouter seulement si vous aimez le piquant!

-1 tablespoon fresh parsley and coriander leaves, chopped / 1 c à soupe de feuilles fraîches de persil et coriandre hachées finement

-60 ml olive oil / 60 ml d'huile d'olive


Other/Autres Ingredients:

-2 or 3 eggs / 2 ou 3 oeufs


Method / Préparation:


Make Kefta meatballs / Former des boulettes Kefta:

1-Combine Kefta and all seasoning blend in a bowl.  Using your hands, mix all the ingredients together to combine. It is very important to knead thoroughly to distribute flavourings through the meat. /  Dans un bol, mélanger ensemble Kefta et toutes les épices, puis malaxer le tout pour que Kefta s'imprègne bien des arômes.

2-Roll Kefta into small balls. /  Former des petites boulettes Kefta.

Cooking Tagine Kefta / Préparer Kefta Tajine:

1-I used a stovetop to cook this tajine over a very low heat (you can also use a heavy and deep skillet). Pour oil, then add salt into tajine and when heated, fry Kefta meatballs on all sides until slightly browned and sealed. / Dans votre tajine (Vous pouvez aussi utiliser tout simplement une poêle lourde et profonde), et sur un feu très doux, faire chauffer l'huile et sel, puis faire revenir Kefta boulettes jusqu'à ce qu'elles soient légèrement dorées de tous les côtés.

N.B. It is important to BROWN Kefta meatballs before adding tomato sauce.  Browning tends to seal the meat and keeps the flavour from being absorbed into the sauce, thus ending up with a very flavourful Kefta and nice, tasty sauce. Don't skip this step, it's very important. / Pour rehausser la saveur de ce plat, et pour que la viande garde ses saveurs, tout en obtenant une belle sauce délicieue, il est recommandé de faire DORER les boulettes Kefta de tous les côtés avant d'ajouter la sauce tomate.  Cette étape n'est pas une option dans cette recette de ma mère.

2-Add onion, garlic, then sauté until they are transparent. / Ajouter l'oignon et l'ail, puis sauter jusqu'à ce qu'ils soient transparents.

3-Add tomatoes, tomato paste and all spices.  Cover and allow to cook for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until the sauce is thick.  You might need to add some water (but make sure not to add too much).  Add only if your tomatoes are not juicy enough and the sauce is TOO THICK to serve (usually 30 ml of water is sufficient)./ Ajouter les tomates, la pâte de tomate et toutes les épices. Couvrir et laisser cuire pendant environ 30 à 40 minutes, jusqu'à ce que la sauce s'epaissise.  Si la sauce devient trop épaisse, ajouter un tout petit peu de l'eau, mais surtout PAS TROP, en général 30 ml d'eau est largement assez.

4-Add parsley and coriander, then stir.  Break the eggs, one by one, over the top of Kefta meatballs, cover and let cook for an additional 6 to 8 minutes or until the eggs are set to your desired consistency. Some prefers set whites with slightly runny yolks, and some firmer yolks, so it's up to you! / Ajouter persil et coriandre, et remuer le tout.  Casser les œufs sur les boulettes de kefta un par un. Couvrir et laisser cuire environ 6 à 8 minutes selon votre goût, tout dépend si vous aimez le blanc qu'il soit complètement cuit, avec un jaune encore liquide, ou bien si vous aimez un jaune bien cuit!

5-Sprinkle on some ground cumin and serve immediately.  Enjoy! / Saupoudrez d'un peu de cumin en poudre et servir aussitôt. Bssaha w raha!