Planning a family visit to Morocco?

Likely the thought of what your kids will be eating on the trip has crossed your mind! We have compiled a list of our best bets to tempt your children. While we know some kids are willing to try just about anything others may be less adventurous.

With that in mind we put together this lest of foods that we think will tempt your kids – and no chicken nuggets and french fries didn’t make the cut! Read on and start planning your Moroccan-inspired, kid-friendly menu on your travels.

Chicken or Kefta Brochettes (Kebabs)

If your child is a picky eater, then this is the option for you. Most restaurants in Morocco have simple grilled skewers on the menu; often served with fries. Chicken, beef, or lamb and if you are near a beach, grilled fish kebabs are often an option. Typically these come with some spices but are not spicy or overpowering.

Mkawra (Moroccan Meatballs + Egg Tagine)

Another option for the finicky palette.  This one might sound bizarre, but when it’s served piping hot out of the oven, it looks and smells delish; hungry kids will love. Moroccan meatballs slathered in bubbling tomato sauce with Moroccan spices and covered in eggs.

The whole shebang is cooked into a clay tagine and popped into the oven for a beautifully browned top. Perfect with Moroccan bread on the side. You can order it plain or sometimes it comes with other things like olives or green peppers. Opt for the egg, meatball and tomato sauce version for picky palates.

Seffa Medfouna (Saffron Chicken with Vermicelli Noodles)

This is the dish for the child with a sweet tooth! Seffa Medfouna is delicious sautéd chicken dish with saffron and vermicelli noodles sweetened with raisins, butter and powdered sugar. The dish is then topped with even more powdered sugar, plus cinnamon and ground fried almonds!  Sounds odd? It actually works!

And here’s a fun fact-Morocco is a leader in saffron exportation with only a few regions in the country where saffron crocuses can be found and harvested. The process is extremely labor-intensive; hence the typical expensive price tag on the spice abroad. Moroccan women play a key role in saffron production and promoting the participation of official women’s cooperatives and non-profits is a recent goal of ethical tourism in Morocco. A win-win for all.

Kefta Meatballs With Couscous, Pasta or Rice

This recipe is a fusion of traditional Moroccan (kefta) and non-conventional Western cuisine. Kefta is ground beef with Moroccan (not hot) spices. If your child is particularly finicky, many cafés and restaurants will offer kefta as spaghetti bolognaise.

Haria Soup

This soup is a fabulous option for kids; we liken it to a minestrone soup with a Moroccan flair. Hearty and served with or without beef, harira is popular with Moroccan bread on the side; it’s a meal-in-one for everyone in the family. And if you throw in a Moroccan salad (often a mix of tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, parsley and green peppers), it’s perfect for adults, too!   

Moroccan Bread

Speaking of bread, Morocco is teeming with wonderful bread choices. Luckily for us, Moroccans take their bread seriously. It is widely believed that a meal is not a real meal without bread.

The choices are vast, including msemen, a soft, flat bread that is particularly divine when it’s piping hot and fresh out of the oven. Msemen can be served with honey, Nutella, or jam + butter as a crêpe-like breakfast. It can also be served on the side of a savory meal for lunch or dinner.

Essentially, it’s always good! Beghrir is also a kid fave; it’s a spongy, melt-in-your-mouth Moroccan pancake made from semolina and children will love it for breakfast served with jam or honey. Harcha is another popular choice for children. It’s made with semolina, pan-fried and has the texture of cornbread but it’s not sweet. Add honey or jam and kids will be delighted.

Moroccan Cookies

Trust us, this is a fave for children! Moroccans love their sweets and Moroccan cookies are widely available across the country for those with a sweet tooth. Pop into a local pâtisserie (bakery) and sample these delights. The choices are sablé (shortbread texture), almond-based, and often sweets are drizzled in honey.

There are specific cookies for different holidays in Morocco as well. Let’s just say there will never be a sweet shortage in Morocco and that’s just fine with us!     

Mint Lemonade

We are ending with lemon mints as kids go crazy for this deliciously simple and thirst-quenching drink. Luckily, it’s widely available at restaurants and cafés all over the country. Easily made with still or soda water, sugar syrup, lemon juice and bountiful amounts of muddled fresh mint, it’s also a perfect pick-me-up after a long day of sightseeing.

Note-If your child has food allergies, check with the restaurant or café to see what options they have. Morocco invests heavily in tourism and venues that cater to food sensitivities are becoming more prevalent throughout the country.   

When I was growing up I don’t ever remember hating vegetables. I could never relate to those cartoons of kids rejecting them. Thankfully most of my kids feel the same way. Maybe you’d have to ask my mom but I have always really liked them.

Except for onions – don’t ask me about onions. 

But, I wasn’t a fan of cooked vegetables. I grew up eating things right off of the tree and out of my grandpa’s garden. If it was a raw fruit or vegetable I was all for it. Cooked things were a different story.

Cooked peas? Nope.

Cooked spinach? No, thanks I’ll take the leaves please.

As I got older I started to see more and more recipes that roasted vegetables and that intrigued me. It only really took roasting carrots once for me to realize I was completely ok with carrots cooked this way. 

It also led me to try different ways of using roasted vegetables. Sure they make a great side dish but they also are beautiful all on their own. For these I wanted to pay homage to Morocco and did so with the inclusion of a simple ingredient; ras al hanout.

This spice is really not a single spice. It’s a mix of a lot of different flavors. Ras al hanout means “head of the shop” and each spice shop has their own blend so no two will taste the same. Some are sweeter some are spicier so you have to really try and find one you like. Usually this is possible through the smell. 

Some of the spices that are used in a ras al hanout blend are; cardamom, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, dry ginger, chili peppers, coriander seeds, pepper, sweet and hot paprika, and turmeric. But this list is by no means exhaustive. When using this, remember a little bit goes a long way. 

My recipe calls for 2 tsps to be used on 1 pound of carrots but you can reduce that amount if you like yours a little less flavorful. 

This dish would pair great with chicken or beef and I can’t help but think it would make an easy Thanksgiving side dish too.

Ras al Hanout Roasted Carrots

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

An extremely simple side dish recipe using carrots and a few spices to create something unique.

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Ingredients

• 1 pound medium sized whole carrots
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp ras al hanout
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional: Parsley or Chives for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Wash carrots thoroughly and cut off the green tops. Peel if desired.
3. Toss the carrots in olive oil. Add the garlic, ras al hanout as well as the salt and pepper and stir until thoroughly combined. 
4. Place the carrots in a baking dish (I like to line mine with parchment paper)  in a single layer and pour the leftover oil mixture evenly on top.
5. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn over. Cook for the remaining 15 minutes or until the carrots are tender and they begin to caramelize. 
6. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley or chives.

Notes

1. Try and choose medium sized carrots that are all similar in size. This will ensure they all cook at the same rate. If you have carrots of different sizes than cut them into similar sizes again to ensure a more even cooking time.
2. While this is already a quick and easy dish, you can make the oil mixture ahead of time and allow the carrots to rest in the fridge until it’s time for the oven. 
3. Things move very quickly at the end of cooking time, so be sure to keep a close eye on the oven at the end. Use a fork to test the tenderness of the carrots and remove when it’s how you like them.

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  North African Ras el Hanout Spice Blend 

Charcuterie boards are all over the place lately. Not familiar with this idea?

A charcuterie board is basically a large platter of food that is meant for sharing and snacking. However, most boards that you will see have a lot of meat – a lot of pork to be exact.

This doesn’t work well for a Moroccan inspired board!

First, traditionally there isn’t any pork in Moroccan food – being a Muslim country pork isn’t eaten. Second, unlike Turkey that has other cured meats Morocco doesn’t have this.

The next component is the cheese.

This is also a challenge when it comes to Morocco as there are few cheeses that are regularly eaten. Jben is the most common; most often found in northern Morocco. It’s a soft fresh goat’s milk cheese that is sometimes mixed with cow milk. It doesn’t have a lot of flavor. The closest thing outside of Morocco is ricotta cheese.

The remaining components

What you add next will depend on what you’re going for. Sweet or savory? Crunchy? Fresh? There are so many combinations! Here is how I put together mine.

Meat Component

I kept this very simple. I only included one meat item and that was a harissa honey glazed meatball that I created for this board. You can make them small, use a toothpick to make them easy to pick up.

Cheese Component

I added 4 cheeses to this board because I love cheese. You can use any combination you like but I think having a hard cheese, soft cheese and flavored cheese works well.

1. Gouda cheese. This is not a Moroccan cheese BUT if Moroccans buy any kind of cheese it’s the red ball of gouda or edam cheese.
2. Soft goat cheese. I rolled mine in harissa paste and then crushed almonds. It gave the board a different feel, look and taste.
3. Cubes of cheddar goat cheese. I wanted to add a hard cheese in and found this goat cheese, seemed a perfect fit.
4. Ricotta with honey and pistachios. For this I went with a sweet flavor and it worked well with the ricotta.

Extras to Fill Out the Board

There are SO many options here but this is what I added;

• flavored olives
• hard boiled eggs with cumin on top
• “souk” peanuts (recipe coming)
• stuffed dates
• walnuts
• almonds
• sliced cucumbers
• grapes
• cherry tomatoes
• sliced baguettes
• lentil crackers
• baked chickpeas
• za’atar crackers

This was really just the tip of my brainstorm for what could be included here. Make it your own! Just keep in mind it should be things that are easy to pick up, that aren’t really messy and that the flavors work together.

Then have fun with it!

Harissa is one of the condiments most well known from North Africa. However, it’s not as commonly found as people think.

I can remember having a conversation with a few of the guys that worked at my riad in Tunis, Tunisia about harissa and the perception of spicy food in North Africa. Harissa has always been a sort of “added” pop of heat for dishes. However, they told me that lately younger generations want things that are spicier and spicier. 

So, instead of it being used to add a kick to dishes, it’s now becoming more and more a part of everyday dishes. I can say I have also seen the same thing in Morocco. 

Harissa is likely to be the spiciest condiment added to any food in Morocco. 

What’s the difference between Moroccan harissa and Tunisian harissa?

Not a lot.

The basic steps to make harissa are; a blending of chili peppers with garlic, olive oil and spices to a thick paste. The spices are where things differ. Tunisian harissa often uses caraway seed in addition to the base ingredients. While Moroccan and Algerian harissa use cumin. 

Where is the best place to buy harissa paste?

You can find harissa in most Middle Eastern/Mediterranean markets. If you don’t have one of these options close than I suggest Mina Harissa. You can purchase it online and they truly do great products that are the real thing. 

It’s also worth noting that all harissa is not the same. The harissa you find in Morocco will be different than what it is in Tunisia for example. Sometimes it will come in a tube and be a thick harissa paste while other times it will come in a jar and be more like a harissa sauce. 

For this recipe I wanted to make a glaze that reminded me of the cocktail meatballs seen on Midwestern potluck tables growing up. If you’re not familiar with this then check out the original recipe idea in this post. 

These meatballs have a kick but you can use either a mild or spicy version of harissa paste to get the flavor and feel you’re looking for. 

Honey Harissa Glazed Meatballs

Yield: 30-40 Meatballs

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

A play on the classic Midwestern grape jelly meatballs, these appetizers have a North African kick and are perfect for your next potluck.

Print

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 1/2 lb ground lamb or beef
• ¼ cup finely chopped onion or ½ tsp onion powder
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp harissa paste (optional)
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• ½ tsp each salt and pepper

Harissa Glaze

• 6 tsp harissa paste
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch

Instructions

1. To make the meatballs combine all of the spices with the meat and mix well.
2. The harissa paste is optional, if you want an added spicy bite than include it. If not, it can be left out.
3. Roll the meatballs into large, marble size pieces and place on a baking tray.
4. Bake in the oven at 350F for 20 minutes until they are cooked through. You can also cook on the stove top in a pan with a little bit of oil but I find baking makes them a bit less greasy.
5. To make the sauce:
6. In a saute pan, mix together the olive oil, harissa paste, apple cider vinegar and honey. Heat on medium heat until the liquid starts to bubble.
7. In a small bowl mix the cornstarch with 2 Tbsp warm water to create a slurry.
8. Whisk this into the harissa sauce and cook 2-3 minutes to create a thicker sauce.
9. You can either mix the sauce with the meatballs, dip the meatballs individually or place the sauce out as a side for people to dip into themselves. 

Notes

Once you've made the meatballs and glaze you can keep warm on the warm setting in a crock pot.

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  Mina Harissa Spicy Traditional Moroccan Red Pepper Sauce 

Not enough harissa for you? I’ve got more harissa recipes too!

Moroccan Harissa Spiked Chili

Harissa Mayonaise

I can remember MarocBaba telling me one of his favorite memories of coming home from school was when his mom or his sisters (he has 6 older sisters) would make a bread stuffed with onions and spices. I also can remember thinking, “oh, that’s nice” but in the back of my mind not really getting what was so special about this. If I’m completely honest, I still don’t LOVE this the way my husband and kids do but I chalk that up to my lifelong hatred of onions.

Yes, I hate onions.

I have tried to make this several times over the course of my marriage and most of the time it has fallen flat on its face. So, I did what I should be doing more of now that we live in Morocco. I enlisted one of my sister-in-laws to teach me. It became obvious right away where I was making my mistakes.

But, the good news is that unlike many Moroccan recipes, the way my sister-in-law makes this is actually easier than what I was attempting to do. Yay!

You could make these to have anytime of day though here they are most popular as a snack after school or during Ramadan on the iftar table. I send pieces of this to school with my kids for a snack or serve it along side a salad for lunch. See, there’s no bad time!

Ingredients

Please note that for the quantities I have used a variety of measures. I have tried to provide both metric and imperial measurements so that you can use whichever is most familiar to you.

For Bread Filling

• 3 purple or yellow onions chopped finely
• 100 grams (appx 1/2 cup) hard beef suet (fat)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 Tbsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 small red hot pepper seeds removed
• 250 grams (1/2 pound) ground beef
• palmful of za’atar or dry thyme

For the Bread

• equal amounts of semolina flour and white flour – we used 2 cups or 250 grams of each.
• 2 1/2 tsp dry yeast
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• warm water
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Directions

Cooking the Filling

To begin cook the onions and beef suet (fat) until the onions start to get translucent. This should take about 5 minutes to begin cooking down.

Next, add the spices and mix into the onions. Taste the hot pepper before you add the entire thing. You can decide what level of spiciness you want. Chop very finely. You also can leave it out completely, it’s optional. Cook a few more minutes.

Break up the ground beef with your hands and add to the onion mixture in small pieces. Continue cooking while breaking the meat until small pieces until the meat is completely cooked. At the end crush the za’atar/thyme with your hands and add to the meat.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely before stuff. It’s very important that you let the meat cool all the way.

Making the Bread

In a large bowl, combine the semolina and flour as well as the salt. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the sugar and yeast. Slowly pour in warm water and begin mixing the dough.

The dough should feel wet but with kneading it will begin to get less sticky the more you knead. (See video). The dough should be kneaded for at least 5 minutes but the length of time will depend on your flour and altitude.

At the very end, add the vegetable oil and knead into the dough, coating it completely.

Cover and let rise for 15 minutes. Then, divide the dough into evenly sized balls – approximately 8 to 10 balls.

Dust a clean spot with semolina flour and begin to flatten the balls of dough one at a time. Work from the inside to the outside until you’ve created a 6″ or 15cm round.

Add 1 Tbsp plus a little more of the filling to the center of the disc. Gather up each of the edges of the dough until you create a pouch and seal. Shape with your hands to make sure that it is sealed.

Continue with the rest of the balls.

Start again with the first ball you formed and again working from the middle begin to flatten into a disc. This time you want to make them as flat as possible without breaking through the dough and having the inside stuffing come out.

These can be cooked in a skillet on the stovetop over low heat. Because the filling is already cooked you need only cook until the bread is baked. You also can cook them in the oven at 180C/350F until the bread is brown.

This is best eaten hot and almost always served with a glass of Moroccan tea!

To watch the steps a bit more indepth, I also made this video that walks through the process.