Delicious Tagine Recipes: Exploring Moroccan Cuisine At Home

Tagine is a North African dish that is cooked and served in a clay pot of the same name. The word tagine refers to both the pot and the food cooked inside it. The clay pot is made up of a round and shallow base topped by a conical lid. The unique shape of the tagine allows steam to circulate during cooking, creating condensation that drips back into the pot, keeping the food moist. Tagines are traditionally used to cook savoury and sweet, spicy, slow-cooked meat dishes.

Meat, fish or vegetables

Tagine cooking is a method rather than a specific dish, so you can use any kind of vegetables, meats, or other ingredients you want. The conical shape of the tagine creates a moist, hot environment for the dish being cooked. As the food cooks, steam rises into the cone, condenses, and then drips back onto the meat, fish, or vegetables, keeping the food moist. This means you don't need to add too much liquid to the dish.

To get started, coat the bottom of the tagine with oil. Many traditional recipes call for olive oil to create thick and rich sauces. Next, add a layer of vegetables such as onions, celery, carrots, and garlic to the bottom of the tagine to prevent the meat from burning and sticking. Then, put your meat, fish, or chicken on top of the layer of vegetables and surround it with more vegetables.

Add your choice of garnishes and spices. Tagine recipes traditionally feature a blend of sweet and savoury flavours, so you can add fragrant spices such as cinnamon, cumin, cloves, nutmeg, paprika, peppercorn, coriander, ginger, or turmeric. You can also experiment with new flavours and try to be adventurous.

Add a small amount of water or broth to the tagine. The tagine will retain much of the steam inside, so you don't need to add too much liquid. Place the tagine over low to medium heat and slow cook for a long simmer. Recipes vary, but generally, you should give it around two hours to prepare. If the liquid base has thickened, add more water or broth.

Once cooked, let the tagine stand on its own for 15 minutes before serving. Bring to the dining table and serve directly from the pot.

Slow-cooked meals

To cook a slow-cooked meal in a tagine, start by lining the bottom with a layer of vegetables such as onions, celery, and carrots, to prevent the meat from burning and sticking. Next, add a good glug of olive oil—this will help create a rich, thick sauce. Place your choice of meat, fish, or chicken on top of the vegetables, and surround it with more vegetables.

Now it's time to add your garnishes and spices. Tagine recipes traditionally feature a blend of sweet and savoury flavours, so you could try cinnamon, cumin, cloves, nutmeg, paprika, peppercorn, coriander, ginger, or turmeric. You could also experiment with oregano or cilantro.

Add a small amount of water or broth to the tagine—remember, the lid will keep the steam inside, so you don't need much liquid. Place the tagine over low to medium heat on the stovetop and slow cook for a long simmer. Most recipes recommend cooking for around two hours. If the liquid base has thickened, simply add a little more water or broth.

Once cooked, let the tagine stand for 15 minutes before serving. Then, bring the whole dish to the table and serve directly from the pot.

Moroccan recipes

Tagine is a type of cooking as well as a dish and a pot. The clay cooking vessel is a two-piece set with a shallow, round base and a conical lid that tapers at the top. The pot is used to cook the dish, which is usually a blend of sweet and savoury flavours.

Tagine cooking is a slow-cooking method that requires very little work from the cook. The conical shape of the tagine creates a moist, hot environment as the steam rises into the cone, condenses, and then trickles down the sides back into the dish. This means that less liquid is needed overall.

Tagines are usually cooked with meat, fish, or vegetables, and flavoured with spices and oils. The most popular Moroccan tagine recipes are often both savoury and sweet, and may include preserved ingredients. Here are some examples of Moroccan tagine recipes:

Chicken Tagine

This traditional Moroccan dish features chicken pieces braised with spices, garlic, onion, olives, and preserved lemons.

Lamb Tagine with Dates & Sweet Potatoes

A Moroccan mainstay, this slow-cooked casserole is flavoured with coriander and ras-el-hanout spices.

Moroccan Chicken Meatball Tagine

A wonderfully aromatic North African lamb casserole with a citrus tang.

Lamb, Squash & Apricot Tagine

Sweet juicy apricots and tender butternut squash are a winner with kids and make for a delicious Middle Eastern family meal.

Spices and seasonings

Tagine cooking is all about layering flavours and creating a rich, fragrant stew. The spices and seasonings you use will be key to achieving this.

Firstly, you'll need to create a base of aromatics. Onions and garlic are a must, and you can also add celery and carrots. Next, you'll want to add your choice of meat, fish, or chicken, along with your vegetables. Common additions are potatoes, zucchini, carrots, peas, raisins, apricots, prunes, and olives. You can also add fruit to your tagine for a touch of sweetness—a common feature in Moroccan cooking.

Now for the spices. Cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, coriander, paprika, cumin, cloves, nutmeg, and peppercorns are all great options. Saffron is also used in tagine cooking, though it can be quite expensive. You can also add ground coriander, ground ginger, and ground turmeric. If you're making a vegetarian tagine, you might want to try oregano or cilantro as garnishes.

Finally, you'll want to add a liquid base to your tagine to help keep the food moist as it cooks. You can use water or broth, but you won't need much as the tagine's unique shape will condense the steam and drip it back into the dish.

One-pot meals

Tagine cooking is a method rather than a specific dish, and it is a type of cooking that is perfect for one-pot meals. The conical shape of the tagine pot creates a moist, hot environment for the dish being cooked. The steam rises into the cone, condenses, and then trickles down the sides back into the dish, keeping the food moist and buttery. This means less liquid is needed overall, and food cooks slowly until completely tender.

Tagine cooking is a slow-cooking method that requires very little work from the cook – the pot does it all! Tagine recipes traditionally hail from the Middle East and North Africa and commonly feature sweet and spicy flavours.

To cook with a tagine, line the bottom with a cushion of vegetables like onions, celery, and carrots, as well as garlic. This will help prevent the meat from burning and sticking to the bottom. Next, add olive oil and then put the meat, fish, or chicken on top of the layer of vegetables in the centre of the pot. Surround the meat with more vegetables.

Add garnishes and spices such as cinnamon, cumin, cloves, nutmeg, paprika, peppercorn, coriander, ginger, and turmeric. As well, try garnishes like oregano or cilantro. Be adventurous and experiment with new flavours!

Add a small amount of water or broth to help keep the food moist. Remember, it doesn’t have to be too much because the lid will keep much of the steam inside. Put your tagine pot over low to medium heat and slow cook for a long simmer. Recipes vary, but generally, this will take around two hours. If the liquid base has thickened, add more water or broth to keep it light.

Once cooked, let your tagine stand on its own for 15 minutes before serving. Bring to the dining table and serve in its own pot.

Frequently asked questions