The problem with “Moroccan recipes” online is that they’re adapted for supermarkets. These are from Fatima, the cook at Villa Azur. Some ingredients simply don’t exist outside Morocco, we’ll tell you which ones to bring back.
Harira (the soup that feeds everything)
It’s not a starter. It’s a meal. Eaten during Ramadan but also year-round. Every family has their version. Fatima’s is thick, fragrant, and served with dates.
Ingredients (6 servings):
- 300g lamb cubes
- 100g chickpeas (soaked overnight)
- 100g green lentils
- 3 ripe tomatoes, grated
- 1 onion, diced
- A bunch of coriander and parsley, chopped
- 2 celery stalks
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons flour mixed with water (to thicken)
Method:
Brown the lamb with onion and spices for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, paste, celery, chickpeas, and 2 litres of water. Cook 45 minutes on low heat. Add lentils, cook another 30 minutes. Near the end, stir in the flour mixture, herbs, and lemon juice. Cook 10 more minutes. Serve scalding hot with dates and msemen.
Msemen (the layered breakfast crêpes)
The first thing you smell at the villa in the morning. Fair warning: it takes practice. Your first attempt will fail. That’s normal.
Ingredients:
- 300g fine semolina
- 200g flour
- A pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar, 1/2 sachet dry yeast
- 250ml warm water
- Soft butter + oil (for layering)
Method:
Mix semolina, flour, salt, sugar, and yeast. Knead with warm water for 10 minutes until soft and elastic. Rest 30 minutes. Divide into balls. Roll each ball very thin on an oiled surface. Brush with butter, sprinkle semolina. Fold into a square (bring four sides to the centre). Flatten gently. Cook on a dry pan, 3 minutes each side until golden. Eat with honey and butter.
Chicken tagine with preserved lemon and green olives
The absolute classic. The one everyone orders and nobody reproduces as well at home, because supermarket lemons aren’t real preserved lemons.
Ingredients (4 servings):
- 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
- 2 preserved lemons
- 200g green olives
- 2 onions, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp ginger, 1 tsp turmeric, a pinch of saffron
- A bunch of fresh coriander
Method:
Marinate the chicken with spices, crushed garlic, and a drizzle of olive oil for 2 hours. Brown the pieces in a heavy pot. Add onions and garlic, cover halfway with water, and cook on low heat for 1 hour 30 minutes. Add the preserved lemons (skin only, cut into quarters) and olives. Cook 15 more minutes. Finish with fresh coriander.
How to store your spices properly
A ground spice loses much of its aroma within 3-6 months, even in a sealed container. Buy ras el-hanout and cumin in small quantities rather than large souvenir bags, and keep them in opaque glass jars, away from light and heat, never above the stove. Saffron, on the other hand, keeps for years if left in its original packaging, away from moisture.
For jarred preserved lemons, once opened they keep for several weeks in the fridge as long as they stay submerged in their brine.
Bonus: mint tea the way Fatima makes it
Rinse the teapot with boiling water. Add a generous handful of gunpowder green tea, pour in a little boiling water, swirl and discard this first water (it carries off the bitterness). Fill the teapot with boiling water, add a large bunch of fresh mint and sugar cubes to taste, 4 to 8 cubes per pot. Let it steep 5 minutes on low heat without boiling. Pour from height, it froths the tea, as much an aesthetic choice as a matter of taste.
What to bring back without fail
To reproduce these recipes at home, here’s what to pack. You’ll find everything at Rahba Kedima or Rue Bab Agnaou:
- Ras el-hanout: The king of blends, 20+ spices. Every merchant has their own recipe.
- Saffron from Taliouine: The real thing, not Iranian powder. Ask for whole threads.
- Salt-preserved lemons: In a jar. Legal in checked luggage.
- Whole cumin: Toast and grind yourself. The difference from supermarket powder is staggering.
- Culinary argan oil: Roasted, for salads and couscous. Don’t confuse with cosmetic argan.
- Orange blossom water: For pastries, tea, and crêpes.
And while you’re in the souks, pick up some beldi soap too, you can’t eat it, but it counts.
