Classic Moroccan Meatball Tagine Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is tagine sauce made of? ›

Tomato [Tomato, Tomato Juice, Citric Acid], Red Wine [Red Wine, Sulphur Dioxide], Water, Apricots (8%) [Apricots, Rice Flour, Sulphur Dioxide], Onion, Apricot Pulp (6%), Honey, Sunflower Oil, Dates (4%) [Dates, Rice Flour], Lemon Juice, Tomato Paste,Ground Coriander (2%), Dried Spices (2%) Lemon Zest, Garlic Puree, ...

Gather the ingredients. Combine the ground beef or lamb, onion, green pepper, parsley, cilantro, paprika, cumin, salt, cinnamon, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Using your hands to knead in the spices and herbs, shape the kefta mixture into very small meatballs the size of large cherries—about 3/4-inch in diameter.

There are four main varieties of cooking tagines: glazed, unglazed, aluminum, and cast iron. Each has its pros and cons, depending on your personal cooking needs.

Equipment You'll Need

Tagine or Dutch oven A tagine is the traditional clay cooking vessel for the dish; it has a base that is wider than its tall, cone-shape top. But you don't need a tagine to make this recipe. Use a Dutch oven or another lidded pot instead, as long as the lid fits tightly.

Traditionally the ingredients were packed into the pot, the lid was popped on tight, then it was cooked slowly over a smouldering charcoal fire. At home it's cooked slowly in the oven or on the stovetop. There are many types of tagines, but they all work the same way.

When you cook in a Tagine you get the unique earthy flavor you can't get when you cook in a regular pot or pan. You can put a modern twist on any traditional dish or experiment with your own blend of ingredients.

Kofta is a type of "meatball" that originates from the Middle East and India. The word kofta comes from the Persian word kūfta, which means "to beat or to grind," which references the ground meat typically used to make kofta recipes.

Tagine is also seasoned with many healthy spices including garlic, saffron, coriander, and ginger – all of which have their own unique health benefits. Overall, lamb tagine is a great meal not only for fitness reasons, but also in general since its ingredients contain cancer-fighting and immune boosting compounds.

Glazed Tagine Pots

Glazed tagines are usually gorgeous and come in various colors and with various decorations. However, most glazed tagine dishes are mainly for presentation. If you want a glazed tagine for cooking, you should make sure that the glaze is strong, lead-free, and acid-resistant.

What type of tagine is best? ›

Cast iron is more durable and versatile. This type of tagine is usually more expensive but is good for those who want a multi-purpose pot since it can be used on a stovetop without a diffuser, and some can go straight from the freezer to the oven.

A tajine or tagine (Arabic: طاجين) is a North African dish, named after the earthenware pot in which it is cooked. It is also called maraq or marqa.

Tagine dishes are famous for slow cooked tender meat, chicken or fish and flavorful vegetables. No worries if you don't own a tagine because this Moroccan Chicken Tagine recipe comes out fabulous in a Dutch oven or crockpot.

Some tagines have a small hole at the top of the lid that releases steam, meaning the sauce reduces as the steam escapes. But if your tagine doesn't have a hole, reduce the sauce by removing the lid in the last 15-30 minutes of cooking.

Cooking without a Tagine

Hafid, who was born in Morocco and has been cooking Moroccan food his whole life, told me that instead of a tagine, I could try using a Dutch oven or slow cooker. Here is Hafid's Tagine Kefta recipe using a Dutch Oven.

The classic flavors found in tagines include parsley and cilantro, which are also used daily in many different Moroccan dishes, dried ginger, cumin, coriander, saffron, cinnamon, paprika, chiles, and Ras al hanoot which is a spice blend that contains between 20 and 40 different herbs and spices.

A tagine is very similar to an Indian curry, except ras el hanout takes a slightly different approach then garam masala. Tagines balance sweet and spicy, often incorporating raisins, apricots, currants, dates, honey, and cinnamon.

The tagine sauce is a fuse of garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin, coriander, lemon juice, saffron, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Algerian and Moroccan tajine dishes are slow-cooked savory stews, typically made with sliced meat, poultry or fish together with vegetables or fruit. Spices, nuts, and dried fruits are also used. Common spices include ginger, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, and saffron. Paprika and chili are used in vegetable tajines.