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The dish's story
A legendary Jemaa el-Fna institution at the entrance to Mechoui Alley, recommended by Xtreme Foodies' 'Essential Eats' specifically for its beef tangia cooked overnight in the embers of a hammam furnace, alongside its underground-oven mechoui.
📋 Xtreme Foodies (Essential Eats)🍴 Traditional Marrakech recipe — Chez Lamine Hadj Mustapha
📋 recipe source: MarocMamaIngredients
- • lamb or mutton (shoulder/shank), cut in chunks 2 lbs
- • garlic, crushed 2 tbsp
- • salt 1 tsp
- • saffron threads, crushed 1 pinch
- • turmeric 1/2 tsp
- • white pepper 3/4 tsp
- • cumin 1 tsp
- • preserved lemon rind, finely chopped 1/2 lemon
- • olive oil 1/4 cup
- • water 1-2 cups
- • smen (fermented Moroccan butter, optional) 1 tsp
Method
- 1 Heat the olive oil and crushed garlic together in a pressure cooker (or heavy pot) over medium heat about 3 minutes, until fragrant.
- 2 Wash the lamb and trim off excess fat, then add the meat to the pot.
- 3 Add the salt, saffron, turmeric, white pepper, and cumin, stirring until the meat is fully coated in the spices.
- 4 Stir in the chopped preserved lemon rind and the smen, if using.
- 5 Pour in just enough water (1-2 cups) to barely cover the meat.
- 6 Cover and cook on medium-high: about 45 minutes to 1 hour in a pressure cooker, or roughly 2 hours on the stovetop for the authentic slow simmer.
- 7 Carefully vent the steam and check the meat; it should be meltingly tender and fall apart easily. Cook longer if needed.
- 8 If too much liquid remains, continue boiling uncovered to reduce it into a rich sauce.
- 9 Serve hot straight from the pot with crusty bread or baguette to scoop up the meat and juices.