What is a tagine?
A tagine is a Berber dish and is very similar to a stew. It is usually made in an earthen pot named tagine, hence the name. It is quite popular in many Middle Eastern and North African countries. And today’s recipe will be inspired by the delicious Moroccan cuisine.
The heart of this Moroccan dish lies in the flavour
It will surely come as no surprise that this dish is filled with warm and rich flavours such as garam masala, cumin, mustard powder, coriander, and paprika. So not only will this dish taste delicious but it will also fill the whole kitchen with a mouth-watering fragrance.
After the lamb has been browned, it will start to infuse with all the spices, getting tender and tasty as it cooks for 2 hours. Thereafter it’s time for the main flavours to enter the stew – honey and dates. These ingredients will bring a rich sweetness to the stew that will link beautifully with the butternut in the couscous.
Chef’s Tip for the butternut couscous
For a bit more flavour in the butternut, try roasting them in the oven instead of boiling them. When vegetables roast in the oven, the dry heat makes the natural sugars of the butternut caramelise, adding to the goodness of the stew.
Ingredients
For the tagine:
- 180 g Lamb, goulash
- 5 ml Oil, olive blend
- 40 g Onion, white
- 2 g Garlic, chopped
- 1 g Spice, garam masala
- 1 g Spice, cumin, whole
- 1 g Spice, mustard powder
- 1 g Stock, chicken
- 1 g Spice, coriander, whole
- 0.5 g Spice, coriander, ground
- 0.5 g Spice, paprika, smoked
- 1 g Sugar, castor
- 7 g Dried fruit, dates
- 10 g Honey
- 15 g Nuts, almond, flaked
- 10 g Herb, coriander
For the butternut couscous:
- 65 Butternut
- 5 Oil, olive blend
- 1 Spice, turmeric
- 1 Spice, salt, fine
- 5 Onion, white
- 1 Garlic, chopped
- 80 Couscous
- 1 Sugar, castor
- 250 ml water
Instructions
- Heat 15ml oil in pan, add Lamb in batches, cook stirring continuously until browned, drain on absorbent paper
- Heat remaining oil in same pan, add onions, garlic and spices, cook stirring until onions are browned
- Return Lamb, cover with stock & water simmer for 2 hours
- Remove lid, reduce until sauce is thick stir in dates, honey nuts and coriander
For the butternut couscous:
- Add the water into a pot and wait until boiling. Once boiling add in the couscous and cook for 5-10 minutes until all water is cooked through
- Chop the butternut into cubes and cook for 10-15 minutes in a separate pot until soft
- Dice the onion
- In a bowl add the couscous along with the butternut, onion, spices, sugar, garlic and olive oil and mix until everything is combined
RELATED: How To Make: Sicilian Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew with Sundried tomato Couscous
