The spices used in Moroccan Tagine recipes are very similar to spices used in Indian curries. I like to cook curries/stews with warm spices during winter months. It is very satisfying and comforting during cold season. I add chickpeas or lentils for protein to dishes like this.
Ingredients
Spice Blend:
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon dhana-jeeru (spice blend of ground coriander and cumin)
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon ginger powder
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
For Tagine:
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch piece of ginger, finely minced
⅛ teaspoon saffron threads
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups cauliflower florets
2 carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup small red or yellow potatoes, cut in half
1 cup vegetable stock or water
1 zucchini, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup different color peppers, cut into strips
1 15 oz. can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons salt or to taste
1 cup large green olives
2 preserved lemons, roughly chopped
½ cup roughly chopped dry apricots or golden raisins
1 cup cilantro, chopped for garnish
Directions
In a mixing bowl make spice blend by combining all spices. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (optional, See step 3).
In a large Dutch oven or oven proof sauté pan, heat olive oil on medium high heat for 1 minute. Add onions and sauté until translucent, 3 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, saffron and spice blend, and sauté until fragrant for 2 minutes. Next add tomato paste and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add cauliflower florets, carrots and potatoes to pot. Stir to coat vegetables with spices. Add stock or water and bring it to boil. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and stir. Cover the pot and you can either cook vegetables on stove top or transfer to oven. Let vegetables cook for 10 to 12 minutes or just tender.
Add remaining vegetables, preserved lemons, apricots or raisins and olives. Add diced tomatoes from can with juices and chickpeas. Season with remaining teaspoon of salt. Stir to combine everything and cover the pot. Transfer to oven or continue to cook on stove top for another 10 minutes or so until all vegetables are cooked through.
Before serving garnish with cilantro. Serve with couscous and/or nan.
1 teaspoon dhana-jeeru (spice blend of ground coriander and cumin)
½ teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon salt or taste
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, for garnish
Directions
Wash okra and dry it with paper towel. Okra should be as dry as possible otherwise it will become too slimy. Cut into ½ inch thick pieces, discarding top and ¼ inch bottom pieces.
Heat oil in a non-stick pan on a medium high heat until shimmering, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mustard seeds and let it sizzle. Add onion, garlic, green chili, all dry spices and sauté them until onion is translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Next add tomato, ginger and sauté until the mixture is almost dry, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add okra, season with salt and stir everything. Cover the pan and let okra cook until tender, 7 to 8 minutes, stirring few times. Initially okra will be slimy but as it cooks it will become less slimy.
Uncover the pan, lower the heat and let okra cook until curry is almost dry, 7 to 10 minutes.
Garnish with cilantro and serve warm with Nan or Paratha.
This eggplant curry is from city of Hyderabad, Southern part of India (in a state of Telangana), and it is usually served with Biryani. It is made with small purple egg sized eggplants (known as Indian eggplants).
Ingredients
1 lb. Indian eggplant (8 to 10 baigan)
½ lb. green chilies, spicy or mild or mix of both (8 to 10)
½ cup raw peanuts
¼ cup sesame seeds
¼ cup fresh shredded coconut
15 to 20 Curry leaves
1 shallot, roughly chopped
1 jalapeno or serrano chili, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
4 inch piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoons red chili powder
1 tablespoon tamarind paste, See note.
1 cup canola oil
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro for garnish
Directions
Wash eggplants and pat dry. Make an X cut on ⅓ of eggplant on stemless side, keeping the stem. Repeat the same with rest of eggplants. Wash chilies and pat dry. Keep them whole with steams, cut them in half if long.
Heat a skillet or a cast iron pan. Add peanuts and roast them until very light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add sesame seeds and roast them for 30 seconds or until they start to pop. Immediately add coconut and roast until light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes. Once it’s cooled, combine roasted peanut mixture, shallot, jalapeno or serrano chili, ginger and garlic in food processor bowl and make a thick paste. Add couple of tablespoons or more water to move the contents in food processor. Set it aside.
Dissolve tamarind paste into ¼ cup of water in a small bowl and set it aside.
In a frying pan, heat oil on a medium high heat until shimmering. Add eggplants and sauté them for 3 to 4 minutes until skin is light brown. Remove from oil and let excess oil drain on a wire racked sheet pan or paper towels lined plate. Lower the heat and remove extra oil from pan, leaving about ¼ cup of oil. Reserve extra oil. Sauté green chilies in oil until they start to blister, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove chilies from oil and let excess oil drain on a wire racked sheet pan or paper towels lined plate.
Add more oil to frying pan to make about ¼ cup from reserved oil. Increase heat to medium high again. Once oil shimmers add cumin and mustard seeds and let them sizzle, 30 seconds. Add curry leaves, let them crisp for 40 to 50 seconds. Be careful as they will splatter oil. Add peanut mixture paste, turmeric, garam masala and chili powder. Sauté the paste with spices for 3 to 4 minutes or until you see oil separating. Add tamarind water and stir. If gravy is too thick add some water. Season the gravy with salt. Add eggplants and submerge them in gravy. Cover the pan and let eggplants cook until soft but not mushy, about 5 to 7 minutes. Uncover and add blistered chilies. Stir the contents and let everything cook in gravy for 3 to 4 minutes.
Before serving garnish with cilantro. Serve hot with Nan and/or Biryani.
Notes
Tamarind paste is readily available in Indian stores.
Combine ingredients of marinade into a medium mixing bowl. Add paneer and toss to coat with marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and let it marinate for 30 minutes to an hour.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Spread paneer evenly on sheet and bake until light golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
Heat oil or butter in a wok or a frying pan until simmering. Sauté garlic-ginger paste with spices until fragrant, 2 minutes. Add tomato sauce, kasuri methi and stir to combine everything. Season with salt and sugar. Let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the baked paneer and stir with the gravy. Adjust the seasoning and let paneer cook with gravy for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so that gravy does not stick to bottom. Add heavy cream, stir and let the gravy cook for another 2 minutes.
Garnish with cilantro and serve warm with Nan or Paratha.
Combine ingredients of marinade into a medium mixing bowl. Add paneer and toss to coat with marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and let it marinate for 30 minutes to an hour.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Spread paneer evenly on sheet and bake until light golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
Heat oil or butter in a wok or a frying pan until simmering. Sauté shallot, green chili, garlic, and ginger with spices until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add tomato paste and sauté for a minute. Add pumpkin or squash puree, kasuri methi, lime or lemon juice and stir to combine everything. Season with salt and let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the baked paneer and stir with the gravy. Adjust the seasoning and let paneer cook with gravy for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so that gravy does not stick to bottom. Add heavy cream, stir and let the gravy and paneer cook for another 2 minutes.
Garnish with cilantro and serve warm with Nan or Paratha.
2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 Jalapeno or serrano pepper, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons canola or coconut oil
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ cup almond or any nut milk
1 tablespoon kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 teaspoon raw sugar or ½ teaspoon honey
Directions
Cut tofu into ½ inch slices. Drain the liquid of the tofu by putting it between two baking sheets covered with paper towels and weighing it down with cans or a heavy pan. Then cut into ½ inch dice. Combine marinade ingredients and diced tofu in a medium mixing bowl. Let it stand for 30 minutes to an hour.
Combine tomato sauce, almond butter, almond milk, corn starch, shallot, tomato, ginger, jalapeno and garlic in a blender bowl. Blend all the ingredients until smooth sauce. Set it aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok or a wide heavy bottomed pan. Stir fry tofu, until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from a wok or a pan with a slotted spoon on a paper towel lined plate to remove excess oil. Keep the extra oil in wok or pan.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in same wok or pan until simmering. Add tomato sauce mixture and stir to combine with oil. Add spices, kasuri methi, and season with salt. Stir to combine everything. Let the gravy cook for 2-3 minutes. Add stir fried tofu and stir to combine with gravy. Cover the pot and let gravy and tofu cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally. If gravy is too thick add some water.
Garnish with cilantro and serve with vegan flat bread or rice.
Notes
To make this recipe nut less, replace nut butter and milk with ½ cup silken tofu.
1 jalapeno or serrano chili or to taste, cut into 3-4 pieces
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon dhana-jeeru (spice blend of ground coriander and cumin)
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon chole masala
3 tablespoons canola or neutral oil
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, for garnish
Directions
In a food processor, process onion, garlic and green chili until it forms thick paste.
Heat oil in a frying pan or a wok. Once oil is shimmering, add onion mixture, turmeric, dhana-jeeru, chili powder, garam masala, and sauté it until onion is light golden brown.
Next process tomato and ginger in a food processor into a thick paste. Add little water if necessary to make it smooth. Add tomatoes and ginger mixture to pot and sauté until water from tomato evaporates.
Add chick peas and salt. If gravy looks too dry add ¼ to ½ cup water. Cover pan or wok and let it simmer for 10 to 12 minutes. Uncover, add chole masala and let it simmer for another 3 to 4 minutes. Garnish with cilantro before serving. Serve warm with rice or any Indian flat bread. (Traditionally, chole are served with bhatoora (fried whole wheat flour bread).
1 jalapeno or serrano chili or to taste, cut into 3-4 pieces
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon dhana-jeeru (spice blend of ground coriander and cumin)
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon chole masala
3 tablespoons canola or neutral oil
2 teaspoons salt or to taste
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, for garnish
Directions
Pick through chickpeas and soak them in two cups of water for 5 to 6 hours or until chickpeas are soft. (Soaking is optional but it will speed up cooking process)
In a food processor, process onion, garlic and green chili until it forms thick paste.
Set instant pot to sauté setting for 30 minutes. Once it is hot, heat oil in insert until shimmering. Add onion mixture, turmeric, dhana-jeeru, chili powder, garam masala, and sauté it until onion is light golden brown.
Next process tomato and ginger in a food processor into a thick paste. Add little water if necessary to make it smooth. Add tomatoes and ginger mixture to pot and sauté until water from tomato evaporates.
Add chick peas and salt. Cover chickpeas with water. Set instant pot to pressure cooker setting and cook for 40 minutes. For unsoaked chickpeas increase time to one hour. Once cooking time is over, release steam (you can also wait for pressure to release) and uncover pot. Add chole masala and let it simmer for another 3 to 4 minutes on sauté setting. Garnish with cilantro before serving. Serve warm with rice or any Indian flat bread. (Traditionally, chole are served with bhatoora (fried whole wheat flour bread).
