Unleash Tagine Magic: Master Moroccan Cooking Techniques

A tagine is a traditional Moroccan dish, usually a blend of sweet and savoury flavours, cooked in a clay or ceramic pot. The word 'tagine' refers to both the conical-shaped dish and the food cooked inside it. The base of a tagine is wide and shallow, while the lid is conical, allowing steam to circulate during cooking, creating condensation that drips back onto the ingredients. Tagines are ideal for cooking rich, slow-cooked stews of meat, poultry or fish, and can be cooked on a stovetop, in the oven or even over coals.

How to prepare your tagine for cooking

Before you begin cooking with your tagine, there are a few important steps to follow to ensure your dish turns out delicious. Firstly, if your tagine is made of clay or ceramic, it should be seasoned before its first use. It's also important to note that tagines should not come into direct contact with the heat source, so if you're using an electric stove or flat cooktop, you'll need a diffuser. Always bring your tagine to room temperature before cooking, as placing a cold tagine on a hot surface can cause it to crack.

When preparing your ingredients, the first step is to create a base layer of sliced onions, which will prevent meat from sticking to the bottom and burning. You can also add garlic at this stage, either chopped or left as whole cloves. Next, add a generous amount of oil, as this is the foundation of a rich sauce in a tagine. Most recipes call for 1/4 to 1/3 cup of oil, and you can use a mix of olive oil and vegetable oil.

Now it's time to arrange your meat, poultry, or fish in the centre of the tagine, with the pieces bone-side-down if using meat on the bone. If you wish to brown the meat first, it's best to do so in a separate skillet, as a clay or ceramic tagine should not be used over high heat. Once your meat is arranged, you can add your vegetables, either layering them around the meat or arranging them in a conical fashion.

Finally, before placing your tagine on the stove, add water, stock, or broth to the side of the dish so as not to wash away any spices. Avoid adding hot liquid to a cold tagine or vice versa, as this can cause thermal shock and crack your tagine. Now you're ready to start cooking!

Layering aromatics, meat and vegetables

Tagine recipes are usually a mix of aromatics, meat, and vegetables, along with spices, oil, and water. The aromatics are typically onions, garlic, and spices, which are layered at the bottom of the tagine. This creates a flavourful base for the dish and prevents the meat from sticking to the pot and burning. Meat, poultry, or fish are usually arranged in the centre of the tagine, with the bones placed bone-side-down to reduce the risk of scorching. Vegetables are then layered around the meat, either in a conical fashion or simply layered around the perimeter.

When using a tagine, the vegetables are usually added at the very beginning of the cooking process, along with the meat. It is important to add a generous amount of oil to the tagine, as this is the foundation of a rich sauce. Most tagine recipes specify 1/4 to 1/3 cup of oil. If you are using a clay or ceramic tagine, it is important to season it before the first use and to avoid placing it directly on the heat source, as this can cause cracking.

For a simple vegetable tagine, you can use potatoes, carrots, onions, and garlic as your base ingredients. To this, you can add a variety of other vegetables such as sweet potatoes, russet potatoes, tomatoes, and dried apricots. Meat options include lamb, beef, chicken, or fish. Spices commonly used in tagines include harissa, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, turmeric, paprika, saffron, and cayenne pepper.

Once you have assembled your ingredients, you can dress up the tagine with preserved lemon, olives, and herbs such as parsley and cilantro. Then, add water, stock, or broth to the tagine, being careful not to wash away any spices. The amount of liquid added will depend on the type of meat and the size of the tagine. For a large lamb or beef tagine with vegetables, use 2 to 2 1/2 cups of liquid, while for a small tagine or a tagine with chicken, half that amount is sufficient. Place the tagine over low to medium-low heat and allow it to slowly reach a simmer, which can take up to 30 minutes.

Using spices and oils

Spices and oils are essential components of Moroccan tagine cooking. The combination of spices and oils creates a rich sauce that infuses the meat, poultry, or vegetables with flavour. Here are some tips for using spices and oils effectively when cooking with a Moroccan tagine:

Choosing the Right Oils

Moroccan cooks often use a blend of olive oil and vegetable oil. Extra virgin olive oil contributes a lot of flavour, so a small amount is usually added to enhance the taste of the dish. Vegetable oil, on the other hand, is more economical and can be used in larger quantities.

Amount of Oil to Use

Don't be afraid to use a generous amount of oil, as it is the foundation of a rich sauce in a tagine. Most tagine recipes call for 1/4 to 1/3 cup of oil. If you reduce the amount of oil, you may end up with a smaller yield of sauce or a watery consistency.

Preparing the Spices

Although not mandatory, mixing your Moroccan spices before adding them to the dish ensures a more even distribution of seasoning. You can combine spices such as salt, pepper, ginger, paprika, cumin, turmeric, saffron, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl. Alternatively, you can mix the spices in a large bowl and toss the vegetables and meat in the spice mixture before adding them to the tagine.

Seasoning the Ingredients

When preparing a tagine, the bed of onions at the base of the dish should be seasoned with some of the spice mixture. This allows the spices to meld with the oil and liquids, creating a flavourful sauce. You can use up to 2/3 of the spice mixture at this step. The remaining spices can then be used to season the meat and vegetables.

Timing of Spice Addition

In most tagine recipes, the spices are added at the beginning of the cooking process, along with the meat and vegetables. However, there is no single correct way to add spices, and you can choose to sprinkle them into the dish as you assemble it.

Cooking methods

A tagine is a type of slow-cooked recipe that uses one pot, known as a 'tagine'. Tagines are ideal for rich, slow-cooked stews of meat, poultry, or fish, and make perfect one-pot meals to share. The word tagine refers to both the conical-shaped dish and the food that's cooked inside it, which is usually a blend of sweet and savoury flavours.

To get started, bring the tagine to room temperature before cooking. If you place a cold tagine, especially an unglazed earthenware tagine, on a hot surface, it may crack. The first step of making a tagine recipe is to place a layer of sliced onions across the base of the tagine, creating a bed for the remaining ingredients and preventing the meat from sticking to the bottom and burning. You can scatter chopped onions, or perhaps celery or carrots, to make a bed for fragile ingredients, such as fish.

Next, add garlic. You can use a garlic press, chop the garlic, or leave the cloves whole. By adding the garlic with the ingredients at the bottom, you are assured that it will fully cook and meld with the sauce.

Ample oil is the foundation of a rich sauce in a tagine, so don't be afraid to use the full amount called for in a recipe. Most tagine recipes specify 1/4 to 1/3 cup of oil. If you do reduce the oil, you will end up with less sauce or a watery sauce. For this particular recipe, the oil can be added at any time while assembling the tagine. Many Moroccan cooks will use a mix of olive oil and vegetable oil.

Meat, poultry, or fish is usually arranged in the centre of the tagine. If you're using meat on the bone, place the pieces bone-side-down to reduce the risk of scorching the meat. For this recipe, arrange the meat into a mound in the centre so you can add lots of vegetables around the perimeter. Sometimes recipes will direct you to brown the meat first, but this is not necessary. If you do decide to brown the meat, it's best done in a separate skillet since a clay or ceramic tagine should not be used over high heat.

Although not absolutely necessary, combining your Moroccan spices before using them does allow for more even distribution of seasoning. You can also mix the spices in a large bowl and toss the vegetables and meat in the spices to coat everything evenly before adding to the tagine. Alternatively, you can sprinkle the spices one at a time directly into the assembled tagine.

Distribute some of the spice mixture over the meat and onions. You can use up to 2/3 of the mixture at this step, concentrating the seasoning on the onions so the spices will meld with the oil and liquids to make a rich, flavorful sauce. The reserved spices will be used to season the vegetables.

When using a tagine, the vegetables are usually added at the very beginning of cooking along with the meat. Some recipes call for layering the vegetables around the meat, poultry, or fish, but in a Berber style tagine, they're arranged in a conical fashion. Although challenging, try to get them to stand upright, as it makes a lovely presentation. Once you've added the vegetables, season them with the rest of your spice mixture.

Now you can dress up the tagine with colour and flavour by adding strips or slices of bell pepper, preserved lemon, olives, and an herb bouquet of parsley and cilantro. A jalapeño or chilli pepper is optional.

The last step before you place the tagine on the stove is to add water (sometimes stock or broth is used instead). Pour it carefully into the tagine near the side so that you don't wash away any of the spices. Be aware that you should not add a hot liquid to a cold tagine, and vice versa, as thermal shock can crack a clay or ceramic tagine.

If a recipe doesn't specify the amount of water to add, follow the general rule of thumb of 2 to 2 1/2 cups of water for a large lamb or beef tagine with vegetables (half that amount of water for chicken due to shorter cooking time), and 1 to 1 1/4 cups of water for a small lamb or beef tagine with vegetables (half that amount for chicken).

To avoid cracking or breaking a clay or ceramic tagine, make sure it sits above the heat source and not directly on it (use a diffuser if you have an electric stove or flat cooktop). Place the tagine over low to medium-low heat and be patient while the tagine slowly reaches a simmer. Tagines can also be cooked outdoors over coals. In Morocco, you may find special tagine braziers, but the tagine may also be placed on the rack of a grill or over a small fire on the ground (use rocks to keep the tagine over the flames). These methods are a bit trickier to maintain adequately low temperatures and require more attention than stovetop cooking.

Once a tagine reaches a simmer (it can take up to a half hour if there is a lot of liquid), it can be left relatively undisturbed to slowly stew. Reduce the heat slightly if the tagine is simmering rapidly; ideally, you want a slow or medium simmer. A beef tagine could require about 3 hours of simmering; chicken might need only half that time while lamb can take an hour longer.

Check the level of the cooking liquids after about 2 hours. If the liquid has already reduced to a sauce-like consistency, you will need to add more water (about 1/4 cup) since the meat needs another hour of cooking. If there is still ample liquid, you don't need to add any water for the last hour of cooking. Simply close the lid and leave it alone. If this much liquid remained when the meat was nearly cooked, however, you might want to prop the lid open with a spoon to allow for a quicker reduction.

Serving suggestions

The tagine is a great serving dish, but remember to protect your table as the base will be hot. In Morocco, it is traditional to gather around and eat communally from the tagine, using pieces of Moroccan bread to scoop up the sauce, vegetables, and meat.

Tagines are best served with couscous, crusty bread, or rice. You can also serve them with your favourite bread, or even quinoa.

If you are serving a chicken tagine, you can either serve the chicken on the bone, or pull the meat off the bone before serving—the latter might be preferable for children.

A tagine can also be served on a platter or individual plates over a bed of couscous.

Frequently asked questions