Side Dish

My 8 Easy Moroccan Recipes any Cook Can Make

A lot of people are afraid to start cooking Moroccan food. They want an easy Moroccan recipe. One that’s fool proof and doesn’t have 27 spices to add. Been there, done that! When MarocBaba and I were first married I could barely cook an egg. Our diet consisted of; eggs (remember I said barely!), hot dogs, and Kraft mac and cheese. Let’s just say coming from home where his mom and/or six sisters would always have a homemade meal three times a day it was quite a rude awakening. “What do you mean you don’t like freezer meals,” I asked. “They’re homemade, I made them in our home!” Not what he was after.

Our Moroccan food adventures were trial and error, emphasis on the error. We’d call and have someone walk us through simple recipes. I’d fiddle with cookbooks and try recipe after recipe. Many were miserable fails, but eventually I got the hang of it. So many people in Morocco are surprised when they ask if I can make a Moroccan dish or two and I tell them, I can in fact make most all Moroccan dishes. MashAllah they tell me. It’s not magic my friends, I just had years or practice and a very patient husband.

But, not everyone has the time, energy, or desire to learn all the dishes. For you, I put together these eight dishes that really are very simple to make. They don’t have a lot of ingredients but do read through each before you start so that you have an idea of the process. Then let me know which you tried!

Cinnamony Sweet Moroccan Orange Salad

This is possibly the easiest Moroccan recipe you can make because it requires no cooking at all. In winter oranges are everywhere in Morocco. There’s a guy outside my door who sells kilos of them all winter long. So it makes sense that we eat a lot and they’re the defacto winter dessert on restaurant menus. Super simple.

B’ssara – Fava Bean Soup

I love winter in Morocco for this soup alone. It’s our go to meal for breakfast or lunch during cold months. It’s also easy to make in a pressure cooker or slow cooker (just get this instant pot and you’ll be set). Really good olive oil to drizzle on top as well as cumin and paprika if you desire. So good. So so good.

Moroccan Carrot Salad

There are countless Moroccan salads, but this is one of the easiest. You can swap out the carrots for any cooked, seasonal vegetable and use the same dressing.

Moroccan Fish Recipe: Hout Quari

So hear me out on this one. If you really dislike fish, you won’t like this. But if you do like it then give it a try – really. Fresh sardines are used to make the little fish meatballs and the condiments take it up a notch. You could use any fish really; from salmon to trout or whitefish. Trust me, this is a good one.

Slow Cooker Moroccan Beef and Green Bean Tagine

One thing I wish I had in Morocco is a good slow cooker but the pressure cooker is the preferred electric tool. This recipe is really quick to put together and everyone will enjoy it. It’s also very economical as you can opt for a cheaper cut of meat due to the long cooking time that will make it nice and tender.

Making Marrakechi Tangia at Home

Tangia is the official dish of Marrakech. So many Moroccans ask me if I know how to make tangia when they find out I live in Marrakech. Of course I know how to make it and you can too. A handful of ingredients and a pressure cooker will have you on your way. Of course you can always opt for the clay tangia if you have one laying around!

Roasted Moroccan Rack of Lamb

Does the thought of cooking a rack of lamb make you tremble? Don’t let it! This super simple Moroccan recipe will make everyone think you’re a top chef! The ingredients are minimal and the flavor is to die for. I wish I had some of this right now.

Moroccan Chocolate Cake

Everyone needs some dessert and this cake is really easy to make. Just a few ingredients and pop it in your oven. Honestly, I don’t bake and this is an easy, go-to recipe!

Go out and create – then let me know what you made!

Pakistani Soaked Daal

10:00 am by Amanda Mouttaki Leave a Comment

Today’s recipe comes from Shannon of Homemade Families. She is a wife, mom, and midwife living in California with her family. She is one of the sweetest people I have met and should some mystical magic happen and I find myself pregnant, I’d fly her to Morocco to be my midwife! I hope you enjoy this story and recipe from her kitchen.

Thirteen years ago, I was a young, hungry new college grad. I could boil pasta, make grilled cheese, and throw together a salad. My husband’s parents came to California from Karachi in the mid seventies. When my husband found himself a young, hungry new college grad, he asked his mom how to make the food he grew up with.

Needless to say, his culinary traditions were more preserved than mine. And the aroma coming from his apartment was delicious. Tired of my vegetarian fare, I finagled an invitation for dinner. I hadn’t touched a lentil before. I probably hadn’t eaten turmeric before either. As the daal (Urdu for lentils) boiled and boiled, the smell seemed familiar and comforting. After a long wait, the simple meal of lentils and rice was ready. It was the most delicious thing I’d ever tasted. I’m embarrassed to recall, that I may have said it tasted like macaroni and cheese. I meant it as a compliment.

The only thing I couldn’t fathom was cooking something that took more than twenty minutes to prepare. Again, I went for lentils, but this time I wanted to see how they were made. I watched the hard, yellow, lentils simmer and simmer, never losing their shape, until finally after hours, they melded into a golden, fragrant mass. Nothing was measured with a proper teaspoon, rather a plastic spoon was used to toss the colorful spices into the pot.

While we waited for the daal to cook, we had plenty of opportunity to talk. The hours that passed allowed us to fill our hunger with conversation and the expanse that life as a new grad presents. Eventually, we married. Three children later, we still enjoy a simple meal of lentils and rice. Only now, I know that lentils come in myriad shapes and sizes. The one we cook now, cooks about as fast as macaroni and cheese. I look forward to the day, that as the daal cooks, we can resume our good conversations.

For now, I present to you a nourishing, simple soaked lentil recipe.

Soaking the lentils the night before optimizes the nutrition you receive from the lentils. Ask anyone who has lentils as a staple in their traditional foods, and they will tell you that their mother or grandmother used to soak lentils. Phytic acid, contained in lentils is broken down through soaking, which allows the B vitamins and other minerals in the lentil to be absorbed in your intestine. It also reduces the cooking time, which may or may not be desired ;).

Don’t skip out on the baghar, the spice perfumed butter. It is an ancient technique used since Vedic times to infuse dishes with flavor. Heating ghee to a very hot point and then quickly frying fragrant spices in the ghee, imbues the ghee with scent and flavor. It is all then folded back into the daal.

We like to cook our lentil in chicken stock. Not only does this add flavor, but it also adds protein and other vitamins and minerals. Chicken stock contains easily absorbable calcium, magnesium, and other minerals. It also contains gelatin, an amino acid that helps with immune function and healthy skin, hair and nails.

Here’s to your good health, and to food bringing about love and happiness!

Soaked Daal

Ingredients

1 cup red lentils
2 cloves of minced garlic
½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp sea salt
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
4-6 cups of chicken stock

Directions

Soak one cup of red daal with enough filtered water to cover. Soak for six to eight hours.

When ready to cook, strain the daal and add to pot.

Add garlic, spices and chicken stock.

Stir, bring to a boil.

Skim the froth from the top and leave to simmer until lentils soften, about 25 minutes.

Baghar- Spice Perfumed Butter

2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 dried red pepper
2 TBS ghee

Heat ghee over medium high heat.

Add spices.

Heat until fragrant, being careful not to burn spices.

Add to daal, stirring to combine.

Nigerian Jollof Rice

10:00 am by Amanda Mouttaki 2 Comments

In today’s post we travel to Africa, Nigeria specifically, to enjoy a rice dish. Oddly enough rice isn’t big in Morocco though you’ll find all sorts of rice dishes around Africa and the Middle East. This recipe is from Sadaf who blogs at My Culinary Adventures where you can find some great recipes for Ramadan and beyond. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Enjoy!

My in-laws are of Indian origin but spent nearly three decades of their lives in Nigeria before moving to the US around fifteen years ago. Like his brothers, my husband was born and brought up in Nigeria. During nine years of my marriage I have heard some fascinating tales of Nigerian culture and the wonderful times that they enjoyed there.

[Read more…] about Nigerian Jollof Rice

Libyan Sharmoula {Tomato and Cucumber Dip}

10:00 am by Amanda Mouttaki 2 Comments

Today’s guest post is from Kaloud “Kay” of A Crafty Arab. I first learned about her site several years ago when few bloggers were talking about Ramadan. She is a Libyan American artist who creates art to promote a positive image of Arab culture. I have to admit I’m not nearly as creative as she is when it comes to crafts but am always inspired to try something new with the kids when I visit her site. Today she’s sharing a Libyan recipe for sharmoula. If you’ve ever wondered “how different can Arabic really be from country to country” this is a great example. In Morocco sharmoula (or charmoula) is a marinade with completely different ingredients than shown here. This dish might be called taktouka in Morocco, and shakshouka in Lebanon and Israel/Palestine. So yes, it really is THAT different! Follow Kay on her site for updates on the Ramadan challenge as well as Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram. Enjoy!

Libyan sharmoula is a close cousin, twice removed, of the Italian bruschetta. Considering Italy’s colonization of the Libya people in the early part of the century, there are many dishes that have a heavy influence from our conquering neighbors up north. And yet, many of the dishes had to be adjusted to local growing vegetation by the Amazigh and Arab tribes that lived in the dessert, mountainous and coastal regions of Libya.

Traditionally sharmoula is eaten by scooping it’s deliciousness with pita bread, or French bread. And like most Libyan food dishes that are eaten by hand (bazen, asida, etc) it is a shared family meal, although if you are a guest in a home, you may request a spoon.

Sharmoula is usually produced by the youngest members of the family who are just learning how to prepare meals. It only has a few basic ingredients that can be found in most refrigerators and takes hardly any time to prepare.

It can be eaten alone as a meal, or to compliment a rice or cuscus dish, and you will find it a staple at most Libyan meals during Ramadan.

My two older daughters make it for us in the summer from the tomatoes in our garden, keeping the tradition alive of when I would collect tomatoes from my jaidie’s (Libyan for grandfather) home garden.

Ingredients

5 Ripe tomatoes
Green onion
Half cucumber
3 Cloves garlic
1 Tbsp Salt
½ Tbsp Pepper
2Tbs Olive oil
½ Lemon

Bread – Mini pita pockets are pictured, but you can use French bread also

Optional

Jalapeno
Onion
Olives

Cut the ripe tomatoes into very small pieces. Then cut them smaller. You can also use your fingers to mash them; just make sure the pieces become fine.

Having spent most of my childhood chopping sharmoula tomatoes nightly, the significance of the tomato pieces being tiny can not be stressed enough. If the pieces are too big, they will be harder to scoop later with your bread. Plus it adds to the texture that is so vital to North African cuisine.

Also cut the green onion and cucumber and garlic into fine, small pieces.

Add the salt, pepper, olive oil and half a lemon to taste.

It’s traditional to add jalapenos to Libyan sharmoula to spice it up a little but I’ve made it optional here. Another idea is to cut it up into large pieces that can be picked out, but you’ll still get the spiciness of the flavor. I hope that when my eight year old is a little older, we can start adding it to our sharmoula too.
If you do add the onions and/or olives, make sure they are also cut into small, fine pieces.

Your sharmoula is done.

As we say in Libya: Sah’ha (To Your Health) And Ramadan Kareem (Blessed Ramadan)

Libyan Sharmoula | Recipes from the Islamic World | marocmama.com — Pin for Later!

12 Delicious Couscous Recipes

10:00 am by Amanda Mouttaki 1 Comment

Couscous is one of the simplest side dishes to cook. Sure the instant couscous sold in store aisles can’t hold a candle to real Moroccan couscous but it can be used in many different ways to create a light yet hearty pasta that is packed with nutrients and is delicious. If you want to go beyond the basics these 12 couscous recipes should get you off on the right foot.

A few things to remember when cooking instant couscous. Add your couscous before your water boils, and when the water starts to boil, promptly remove it from heat, cover, and let sit. Be sure to fluff your couscous with a fork before removing from the pan. It helps to break up the clumps and give it nice light texture. You can also prepare instant couscous the same way traditional couscous is made – by steaming it.

Now that you have your couscous, here are 12 ways to use it!

Jeweled Butternut Couscous Salad from Daily Waffle
Lemon and Artichoke Couscous with Shrimp from Foxes Love Lemons
Apricot Couscous Salad from Grab Your Spork
Curried Couscous Salad from Devour Blog

Couscous with Dried Fruit from Kitchen Riffs
Herb Flecked Spring Couscous from Katie at the Kitchen Door
Pearl Couscous Salad with Olives from A Zesty Bite
Watermelon and Feta Couscous Salad from Southern in Law

Couscous Salad with Cherry Tomatoes and Broccoli from Wine Dine Daily
Couscous Salad with Cucumber, Red Onions & Herbs from The Kitchn
Mediterranean Couscous Salad from Two Peas and Their Pod
Summer Couscous Salad from Food n Service

What’s your favorite couscous dish?

Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Side Dishes

10:00 am by Amanda Mouttaki 4 Comments

One of my favorite holidays has always been Thanksgiving. For as long as I can remember all of my family would get together at my grandma’s house for a huge meal. It was always a fun time for my cousins and I to get together and usually get in some type of trouble. The meal was always traditional; turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, corn, small soft rolls, and plenty of dessert. When MarocBaba first came to America I couldn’t wait to share this holiday with him. His second year here we were not near any family and it was up to me to make a Thanksgiving dinner. I was afraid the whole thing would be a flop but we ended up having a delicious meal – even if it was just our little family. This year Thanksgiving will be different because of his diagnosed celiac disease. I’ve already started re-creating some of the staples in a gluten-free version to make sure he doesn’t miss out. Two of the dishes I’ve re-created are a baked corn pudding and a crouton to be used for stuffing. They’ve both passed the kid test and I think they may be better than the original versions!

Gluten-Free Italian Croutons

To make this recipe, I whipped up a batch of cornbread, let it cool and then cubed it. I toasted it again to make them crunchy. Alternately you could leave the cornbread out overnight to “dry up” and then finish them in the oven the next day.

Ingredients

1 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon basil chopped finely
1/4 grated parmesan cheese
1 cup milk
1/4 cup Brummel and Brown Spread
1 egg
1/4 cup Brummel and Brown Spread reserved

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400F
In a large mixing bowl combine the flours, cornmeal, baking powder, parmesan cheese, salt, basil, onion and garlic powders. Mix together.
Melt the Brummel and Brown and add to the flour mixture along with the egg, and milk.
Use a whisk to combine all of the ingredients and remove as many of the lumps as possible.
Grease an 8×8 baking pan and pour in the mixture.
Bake 20-25 minutes until the bread is cooked through and a fork comes out clean.

Allow the corn bread to cool and then cut into 1/2″ strips and then cubes.
Lay out the cubes on a large baking sheet. Melt the 2nd 1/4 cup of Brummel and Brown and drizzle on top of the corn bread cubes. Toss gently and place back into a 400F degree oven. After 8-10 minutes mix the cubes and bake until they have browned and dried out.

Baked Corn Pudding

I’ve made this dish for several years and have often been asked for the recipe. It’s a hit with adults and especially with kids. I’ve altered this version to omit any gluten.

Ingredients

5 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup Brummel and Brown spread
1/2 cup cream
1 can of creamed corn
2 cups frozen corn
4 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400F.
In a large mixing bowl add the eggs and cream and whip together with a whisk.
Melt the Brummel and Brown spread and add to the egg mixture along with sugar, salt and pepper.
Mix well and add the creamed corn, frozen corn and cornstarch. Fold together everything.
Grease an 8×8 baking pan and pour the mixture in. Place in the oven.
Bake the pudding for 20-25 minutes until the edges are brown. This is a pudding so it will not become firm. It should not be runny but don’t be alarmed if it is soft.
Serve hot. You can also garnish this with chopped parsley, cilantro, onions, or even shredded cheese!

I hope that these recipe ideas help you have a great Thanksgiving whether you’re gluten intolerant or not!

Thank you to Good to Know & Unilever Spreads for being a sponsor. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.