The Royal Moroccan Tagine is a real feast that combines savory and sweet flavors! It showcases tender beef cooked in warm autumn spices, delicious prunes marinated in a honey-ginger marmalade, and crunchy fried almonds scattered over the top! This Tagine is also topped with boiled eggs and sesame seeds to give it extra nutrients and a beautiful, nutty flavor! It is earthy, flavorful, and perfect for serving during the fall season!
A Fancy Moroccan Feast!
In Morocco, serving the Royal Tagine at weddings, baptisms, and other celebratory events is common! However, we also prepare this delicious feast to welcome guests to our house. If you are a tourist in Morocco, this is the Tagine to order at traditional Moroccan restaurants; otherwise, if you want to know what a fancy Moroccan dish tastes like, you should try this winner!
Royal Tagine Ingredients
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Beef or Lamb
Beef sirloin, shoulder, or shanks are perfect for this Tagine, for they result in tender meat and pair perfectly with the warm, earthy spices. Alternatively, you may also use lamb sirloin, shoulder, or shanks.
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Prunes
Seasoned with cinnamon, ginger, honey, and orange blossom water, the prune marmalade is key to the recipe! While the prunes are packed with fiber and nutrients, the marmalade brings out that iconic, royal tagine flavor!
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Boiled eggs
Adding boiled eggs will not only add more protein to your dish, but it will also make your Tagine look more authentic! However, you may skip this option if you choose to.
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Fried blanched almonds
Fried blanched almonds will add a beautiful crunchy texture to your Tagine. However, it’s essential to dry the almonds before frying them. Please see the notes below on how to fry blanched almonds successfully.
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Sesame seeds
I love sesame seeds! They add a nice texture and a nutty flavor that’s too delicious to skip! Plus, a traditional royal tagine always – always – features sesame seeds sprinkled over the top!
Making the Moroccan Royal Tagine
Because the recipes for this Tagine differ from family to family, there are many different ways to prepare this Tagine. I don’t use herbs in this recipe because I don’t want to alter the flavor. Also, because I like to control the consistency of the marmalade, I cook the prunes in a different pot before adding them to the main Tagine towards the end.
My recipe is straightforward! So, you don’t need to be a pro to make this dish. However, it is important to follow some basic steps to avoid burning your Tagine or blanched almonds. While the recipe below highlights the instructions in detail, please be sure never to cook your tagines over high heat — the best tagines are always cooked over medium-low heat for an hour or so.
Serving Your Tagine!
Add the prune marmalade and the eggs once the meat is cooked to perfection. Top your Tagine with fried almonds and sesame seeds, and serve it while still warm! Like all tagines, this dish is best served with Moroccan bread and fresh Moroccan mint tea on the side. Bon appétit!
The Royal Tagine
Ingredients
Meat Tagine
- 1 cup chopped onion (approximately 1 medium onion)
- 2 lbs beef or lamb (sirloin, shoulder, or shanks)
- 2 crushed garlic cloves (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
- 2 Tbps olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 – 1/2 cups lukewarm water
Prune Marmalade
- 1 – 1/2 cup prunes (approximately 18 prunes)
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp orange blossom water
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1/2 cup meat tagine broth (or more, up to 1 cup)
Other toppings
- 1/2 cup fried blanched almonds
- 2 – 3 large boiled eggs
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
Instructions
Cooking the Meat
- Preheat a Tagine pot on medium-low heat for 3-5 min. Put in olive oil, chopped onion, and crushed garlic. Stir and sauté for 5 min, or until the onions soften. A Dutch oven, a.k.a. cocotte, may be used instead of the Tagine pot.
- Add the beef and seasoning, and brown for 5 min. Next, flip the meat and brown for a few more minutes. Add 1 – 1/2 cups of lukewarm water, cover, and cook on medium-low heat for 45-60 minutes. To avoid burning, check the water level every 10-15 minutes, adding more lukewarm water if or as needed.
Making the Prune Marmalade
- Add all the marmalade ingredients to a saucepan, mix, and cook over medium-low for 5 minutes. Add half to one cup of broth from the meat tagine to the marmalade to avoid burning. Next, let the marmalade simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes. Please see the notes for cooking time.
- As the meat tagine is cooking and the marmalade is simmering, fry the blanched almonds and boil the eggs. If you're new to frying almonds, please see the notes below.
Serving the Royal Tagine
- Add the marmalade to your meat tagine and mix with a wooden spatula. Next, place the eggs and fried almonds on the meat and prunes. Finally, sprinkle some sesame seeds over the top. Et voila!
- Serve your tagine hot with Moroccan bread and fresh mint tea on the side. Bon appétit!
Notes
Making Fried Blanched Almonds:
- To blanch raw almonds, put them in a boiled water bowl, and cover them for 10 minutes. Next, remove the cover and peel them. They should peel easily; otherwise, allow an extra 5 minutes inside the hot water bowl. Finally, dry the almonds using a cloth or paper towel.
- The almonds should be completely dry before frying them; otherwise, they will pop. Fry your almonds on medium heat until they’re golden brown; careful not to burn them. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature before topping (or snacking, in my case).
Prunes Cooking Time:
- I use Kirkland Signature Sunsweet Pitted Prunes. Please note that different prunes require different cooking times. Mine don’t take long, but you may need to cook yours longer (until soft but not too mushy).
Other Notes:
- Because the recipes for this tagine differ from family to family, there are many different ways to prepare this tagine. I don’t use herbs in this recipe because I don’t want to alter the flavor. Also, because I like to control the consistency of the marmalade, I cook the prunes in a different pot before adding them to the main tagine towards the end.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to three days. Heat the tagine on a stove top with water to avoid burning; do not microwave.
Do you like Tagines? Here is another favorite!
Did you make this Tagine? Tag @petitapron on Instagram so we can find you!
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