How To Cook a Perfect, Authentic Moroccan Tagine Soussy (Tagines from South of Morocco)
Comment Préparer un Vrai Tajine Marocain! Tajine Souss (Sud du Maroc)
Comment Préparer un Vrai Tajine Marocain! Tajine Souss (Sud du Maroc)
طَجيِنْ مَغْرِبِي سُوسِي
Article and Photos by Mamatkamal
Article and Photos by Mamatkamal
For those who may not know Tagine (Tajine)
Tagine = الطّجين is both the word for the glazed earthenware dish , as a main course as well as the clay pot used in Morocco and several countries in Africa, for making stews. Tagine consists of two parts: Base unit which is flat and Dome-Shaped Cover which has a knob-like handle at its top to facilitate removal.
Non-Moroccans tend to think of "Moroccan Tagine" as one homogeneous dish, and that all Moroccans cook the same and similar Tagine. No, that's not true. Morocco is intensely regional, with a diverse community : 60% of population are Imazighn, the rest of population are Arabs, Jews, Andaloussi, Christians, etc... So if a special dish is considered as one city signature, it will be a complete "unknown" and "unheard of" if you travel 200 km far down the town (sometimes even less). Example,Madfouna, which is similar to pizza and is very popular in Tafilalt, but if you go to Agadir, it is hard to find this dish in any restaurants menu in the town. Another example is "Cornes de Gazelles" = كعب الغزال, which is a very Moroccan popular cookies, that could easily be found everywhere you go in Fes or Casablanca or Marrakesh, but if you travel further to the South or to the East, it will not be easy to find these sweet treats and you might have to make a special order if you want to taste them.
If you are planning to travel to Morocco, and you really want to taste one good, authentic and delicious tagine, you have definitively to go to the South, region of Souss, where the language Tamzight (Chalha Souss) is the overwhelmingly predominant language. Swassa (Imazighns or Chleuh of the South) are Masters of the art of Tagine! They make the best, incomparable Tajines I have ever tasted in the whole kingdom, mostly cooked in argan or pure olive oil with fresh meat and vegetables, over a traditional charcoal brazier (Kanoun or Majmar =مجمر- كانون ).
This is my sister's Tagine who is quite lucky to live in the South of Morocco "Awlouz", Region of Souss! This is the traditional method used for tagine cooking in South of Morocco!
If you go to other big cities as Casablanca, Rabat, etc... you will be served what they call "Tagine", but in fact it is only "Dwaz or Marqua (Mar9a)" = المرقة - دواز, which is a sort of meat and vegetables stew cooked in a pressure cooker in less than 30 minutes or in more conventional cookware such as casseroles or pan. To add an aura of authenticity, the cooked stew is served in a decorated Tagine, a beautiful serving dish! If you are visiting Morocco for the first time, and you have the misfortune to be served "this so-called Tagine", but which is in fact "Dwaz", believe me you'll hate Moroccan Tagines for the rest of your life. This doesn't mean I hate "Dwaz", I do like to prepare it from time to time, but what I mean is that it is definitively not kind of dish that deserves one to travel over hundreds kilometres to taste it. It tastes just "OK", but nothing extraordinary about it!
Traditionally, Tagines are cooked over a charcoal brazier, and this is the way my mother used to cook her tasty stew, from whom I inherited all Tagines' recipes (we used to call her "Tajines' Queen"), and I really treasure them. Nowdays, most of people use a stovetop to cook Tagine. However, bear in mind that there are some types of Tajines that can be used ONLY for serving or decoration and here are some of my Tajines that I use only to serve food. I've got blue (my favourite), green and yellow.
Tips / Astuces
1-Always remember that slow-cooking is the key-word. The meat should simmer for a long time, long time until it is almost falling apart , absorbing the flavour of other ingredients. / Toujours cuire sur un feu très doux et pendant plusieurs heures pour que la viande s'amalgament bien et s'incorporent à la sauce.
2-Never stir during the cooking process / Il ne faut pas remuer durant la cuisson.
3-Although Tajines are particularly suited to meat dishes, you can also make vegetarian Tajines and they taste great / Habituellement, un tajine est cuisiné avec de la viande et légumes mais il y a des Tajines végétariens qui ont un goût savoureux.
4-You may use all sort of meats and add your choice of sliced vegetables. You can cook almost any dish in a Tajine / Vous pouvez utiliser toute sorte de viande avec votre choix de légumes . Bref, le Tajine convient toutes les recettes.
5-South Moroccan Tajines require initial browning; i.e. meats are always first sautéed and then embellished with combinations of ingredients. Always brown the meat in a little oil and salt, giving it a little time so it'll get that nice brown colour. Don't cover the Tajine while browning the meat. This is almost the colour we are looking for before adding other ingredients (see picture below) / Les recettes des tajines marocains de Souss exigent de faire dorer la viande sur toutes ses faces dans l'huille chaud et du sel. Ne couvrez pas le Tajine quand vous faites dorer la viande.
7-To prevent vegetables at the top from drying, occasionally, spoon sauce over vegetables while the slow cooking process. This also helps the vegetables to get the nice flavour of the sauce / Pour que les légumes soient tendres et pour qu'ils goûtent à la saveur de la sauce, de temps en temps, arroser-les avec un peu de sauce durant la cuisson.
8-You might need to cook your tagine longer than 2 hours even 3 or 4 , depending on the vegetables and meat you have chosen. Well, you should really be very patient to eat a nice traditional tajine. I usually start cooking my tajine at 10h00 to be ready at about 13h00 / Il se pourrait que vous aurez besoin de cuire votre tajine plus que 2 heures, même 3 à 4 heures. Ceci dépend de genre de légumes et la viande que vous avez mis. Il faut être patient pour manger un bon tajine tradionnelle. Personnellement, je commence à cuire mon tajine vers 10h00 pour le servir vers 13h00.
9-Allow to cool before washing your Tajine / Laisser refroidir avant de laver votre Tajine.
10-Before you buy a Tajine, make sure to ask all the questions such as : Can you use it on stove top? can you use it in the oven? etc... There are some types of Tajines which can be used in oven only./ Avant d'acheter un Tajine, vérifier, est-ce la cuisson du Tajine choisi, se fait sur le gaz, dans le four etc....
11-My mother used to say that "a watched Tajine never boils!". If it happens, if you put too much water and the sauce is boiling over, just insert a spoon between the Tajine and its lid. You will find that the sauce will not spurt out (see picture below) / Ma mère disait "un Tajine bien surveillé ne déborde jamais!". Si cela vous arrive et pour que la sauce ne déborde pas, placer une cuillère entre le Tajine et son couvercle (voir photo ci-dessous).
Enjoy your experience with Tagine and for any queries, you can e-mail me. Have lots of fun cooking Tagines and eating them!
Here are only a few recipes of Moroccan Tagines, but there are so many! Click on each title to view the recipes!
Moroccan Tuna Tajine / Tajine Marocain au Thon
Moroccan Vegetable Tagine / Tajine Marocain Végétarien
طجين الخُظْرا
Moroccan Tajine with Lamb, Fresh Ful Fava Beans and Zucchinis / Tajine Marocain d’Agneau, aux Fèves Fraîches et Courgettes
طجين الفول
Moroccan Cauliflower Tajine with Chicken and Potatoes / Tajine Marocain de Poulet Au Chou Fleur et Patates
طجين شوفلور و البطاطة
Moroccan Tajine of Lamb with Green Beans and Olives / Tajine Marocain d'Agneau aux Haricots Verts et Olives
Moroccan Chicken, Potatoes and Peas Tajine / Tajine Marocain Au Poulet, Patates et Petits-Pois!
طجين البطاطة وْ الجّْلْبانة
Moroccan Lamb, Carrots and Turnips Tajine / Tajine Marocain A l'Agneau, Carottes et Navets
طجين خيزّو و اللّفت
Tajine Bouzroug / Moroccan Style Mussels / Les Moules à la Marocaine Cuites Dans Tajine
1 comments:
I love tajines and cook that speciality on a regular basis. A perfect dish, indeed!
Cheers,
Rosa
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