When the weather is cold and we want to feel warm and cozy, a hot pot dish is what we crave, and making one that is a little outside of what we used to is always interesting.
Moroccans usually use a tagine pot to make a hot pot dish, which has a conical lid. The unique shape of the pot is the result of people in the region developing a cooking method to compensate for the scarcity of water.
As steam rises from the food as it is cooked, it cools and condenses on the inside of the lid, and water falls back into the food. The dish can be cooked using only the water that is already contained in the ingredients.
Kuchio said that the pot is incredibly functional and not only has a cute shape.
This time, Kuchio has made kefta tagine, which is meatballs simmered in tomato sauce. If you don't have a tagine pot available, a pan or pot with a lid works just as well.
The first step is to make meatballs. You can choose lean ground beef with little fat to maximize the umami flavor. Mix in onion and coriander and make small balls that are about 2 centimeters in diameter. The meatballs will be easier to form if you drain the onions before adding them to the beef.
Heat cooking oil in a pot, add onions and cover it with a lid. When it is fragrant, add tomato, cumin powder, and other ingredients. Let it simmer until it thickens to form a sauce texture.
The umami flavor of the ingredients will be concentrated by allowing them to simmer in the water released by the tomatoes, onions and other vegetables without adding water.
If there is too much liquid, place a spoon or something similar between the pot and lid so that some of the steam can escape, Kuchio said.
When the sauce thickens, add the meatballs and cover the pot. Then add raw eggs, cover the pot and turn off the heat. Allow the eggs to heat up until they are partially cooked.
Moroccans will eat tagine by dipping bread into the sauce and scooping it up, Kuchio said.
I did as she said, and it was delicious. The meatballs were small enough, so they can be eaten with bite-sized pieces of bread, and the spicy tomato sauce was rich and refreshing. All of it was the perfect combination. I would definitely like to make this dish at home on a cold day.
Kuchio also prepared Moroccan salad, which is often served as an appetizer in Morocco, as a side dish.
She said enjoy this refreshing salad with the tagine.
The salad is simple to make. Cut cucumbers, tomatoes and onions into 5 millimeter cubes and mix in chopped Italian parsley or coriander. Add salt, lemon juice and olive oil and toss everything together.
She said that the salad will release some water as you toss it before you eat.
Peel the tomatoes and cut them in half. They are then grated from the cross-section.
In a bowl, combine beef, an onion drained teaspoon of garlic, a tablespoon of chopped coriander and Italian parsley, 1 teaspoon of cumin powder and teaspoon of salt, as well as paprika powder and black pepper, and mix everything together. Make meatballs that are about 2 centimeters in diameter.
1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over low to medium heat. Add the remaining onion to the pan and cover with a lid. When fragrant, add 1 teaspoon each of garlic and cumin powder, teaspoon of salt, coriander powder, and tomatoes. Stir the mixture and cover it with a lid and let it simmer. Add the meatballs and cover when the sauce thickens. Allow it to simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes.
When the meatballs are cooked, add raw eggs and cover. Then turn off the heat. Add the remaining coriander and Italian parsley as a garnish.