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Bab Lbladباب البلاد

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Kitchen

The dishes you grew up with, written so they work in a kitchen abroad. Change the number of guests and the quantities follow.

Main dishes

Couscous with seven vegetablesThe Friday dish. Three steamings make the grain light; the broth does the rest.2 h 30 min · Serves 8 Friday

Chicken tagine with preserved lemon and olivesThe tagine every Moroccan home knows. The sauce should be thick, never soupy.1 h 20 min · Serves 5

Kefta tagine with eggsMeatballs in a spiced tomato sauce, finished with eggs. Ready in under an hour.50 min · Serves 4

Lamb tagine with prunes and almondsSweet and savoury, the dish of weddings and feast days.2 h 5 min · Serves 6 Feast days

Fish tagine with chermoulaThe tagine of the Atlantic coast, from Safi to Agadir. The chermoula marinade carries the dish.1 h · Serves 4

Tanjia marrakchiaThe bachelor's dish of Marrakech: meat, spices and a clay jar left for hours in the embers of the hammam.4 h 10 min · Serves 5

RfissaChicken, lentils and fenugreek over shredded msemen. The dish made for a new mother, and for anyone who needs comfort.1 h 40 min · Serves 6

Chicken and almond pastillaCrisp pastry, spiced chicken, sweet almonds. The showpiece of the Moroccan table, originally from Fez.2 h 15 min · Serves 8 Feast days

Soups and salads

HariraThe soup that breaks the fast. Tomato, pulses and herbs, thickened at the end until velvety.1 h 50 min · Serves 8 Ramadan Winter

BissaraThick broad bean soup, the winter breakfast of the north. Olive oil and cumin on top are not optional.1 h 10 min · Serves 5 Winter

ZaaloukSmoky aubergine and tomato salad. Served warm or cold, scooped up with bread.50 min · Serves 4

Bread and breakfast

Khobz, everyday breadRound, flat and dense enough to scoop a tagine. Two loaves, one hour of rising.45 min · Makes 2

MsemenSquare, flaky, folded flatbreads for breakfast and tea time. The folding is easier than it looks.1 h 10 min · Makes 12 Ramadan

BaghrirThousand-hole pancakes, cooked on one side only and soaked in honey butter.40 min · Makes 15 Ramadan

HarchaSemolina griddle cakes, crumbly outside and tender inside. Ready in 25 minutes.25 min · Makes 8

Tea and sweets

Mint teaAtay. Not a drink but a welcome. The first glass is set aside, the leaves are rinsed, and the pour is high.10 min · Serves 5

Coconut ghribaCracked, chewy coconut biscuits for Eid and for the tea tray. One bowl, no mixer.35 min · Makes 30 Feast days

SellouToasted flour, almonds and sesame. The Ramadan and new-mother energy food, also called sfouf.1 h 15 min · Serves 20 Ramadan

The Moroccan pantry abroad

What to look for, and what to use when you cannot find it.

Smen: Aged salted butter with a strong smell. Ghee or clarified butter gives the richness without the tang.
Preserved lemons: Easy to make: quarter lemons almost through, pack them with coarse salt in a jar, cover with lemon juice and wait four weeks.
Ras el hanout: Each spice seller has a blend. A home version: cumin, coriander, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom and nutmeg.
Warqa: The pastry of pastilla and briouates. Brick sheets are closest. Filo works when brushed well with butter.
Lben: Fermented milk served with couscous. Kefir or buttermilk comes close.
Couscous: Buy medium grain and steam it. The instant kind soaked in hot water never gets as light.
Gunpowder green tea: Sold in Asian and North African shops in small boxes. Tea bags of green tea do not give the same result.
Fine semolina: For msemen, baghrir and harcha. In Italy it is semola rimacinata. Coarse semolina will not work for baghrir.
Beldi chicken: A free-range bird with firm flesh. Choose free-range or organic and add 15 to 20 minutes of cooking.
Amlou: Roasted almonds ground with argan oil and honey. Without argan oil, a mild nut oil gives a good spread, though not the same taste.