Kebab Maghdour Recipe - Moroccan Tagine of Spiced Cubed Meat
Kebab maghdour - "betrayed kebab" - is one of the easiest Moroccan tagines to make. It's the perfect "last minute" recipe for unexpected guests and it's one of the first recipes we learn as junior cooks. The meat is cooked to buttery tenderness in a thick onion sauce, then topped with fried or poached eggs.The cooking time in the recipe is for premium cuts of meat that will cook fast. Adjust the timing for cuts that will take longer to reach tenderness. We can cook the meat up to 2 hours in some cases.
Yield: 6 servings
Calories: 519kcal
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs boneless leg of lamb, veal or beef (ideally tender cuts), cut into 1" (2.5 cm) cubes
Marinade
- 1 medium-size onions, grated or finely chopped
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic, grated or finally chopped
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper, black and white
- 2 tbsp flat parsley leaves and coriander chopped
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Onion sauce - daghmira
- 2 medium-sized onions, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp vegetable and olive oil, mixed
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp salt, to taste
- 1 stick cinnamon (optional)
- 1 tbsp ground sweet paprika (or half smoked paprika and half sweet paprika)
- 2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
- 1 tsp smen or ghee
- 2 tbsp butter
Finishing and garnishing
- 3 to 6 eggs (counting half to a whole egg per person)
- 6 tbsp olive oil (in case you are frying the eggs separately)
- 1 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley or coriander
Instructions
Marinating
- Combine the cubed meat with the marinade ingredients. Cover and leave to marinate for 1 to 2 hours. (You can skip this step if you are in a hurry.)
Cooking
- In a pot or a tagine, combine the ingredients for the onion sauce. Add the marinated meat and cook over medium heat, covered. Stir from time to time. You might need to add about 1/4 cup of water but it will depend on how much liquid the onions will render.
- The dish is ready when the meat is very tender and the sauce reduced to a thick consistency. Adjust the seasoning at the end.The cooking time depends on the cuts of meat used and their size. Leg of lamb or beef filet will take only about 30 minutes. Tougher cuts will take longer and will require small additions of water to avoid the sauce reducing too early.
Serving options
- Serve kebab maghdour hot one of the following ways:
- Without eggs: You can serve this dish without eggs on top; a sprinkle of chopped parsley will do as garnish.
- With fried eggs: Before serving, fry the eggs separately in hot oil and garnish the kebab maghdour with them.
- With poached eggs (best done when you serve this recipe in a tagine or a gratin dish): Alternatively, you can poach the eggs directly in the hot simmering sauce. Cook until the yokes are partially set. You can help the whites cook faster by spreading them and inserting them delicately into the sauce. Add the eggs just before you plan to serve the dish and make sure to cover the pot or tagine so they coagulate from the top as well..
Notes
- There are a few versions of kebab maghdour depending on families and regions. It's perfectly fine to add a cinnamon stick to the sauce or turmeric (in which case paprika is not needed). A knob of butter can also be added as it brings texture and richness to the dish.
- While most of the kebab maghdour recipes don't call for ginger, our family recipe does. My personal twist is to add a good pinch of cumin and a hint of cayenne.
- Vinegar can be added while the meat is marinating, especially if you are using chicken or turkey meat (which is a new version of kebab maghdour).
- You can add a few spoons of water to the sauce while simmering if you think the pot is drying from its sauce. However, this dish should be served with a reduced sauce.
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 519kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 127mg | Sodium: 498mg | Potassium: 652mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 765IU | Vitamin C: 7.3mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 4.4mg
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate obtained from online calculators. Optional ingredients may not be included in the nutritional information.
Did you try this recipe? We'd love to know!Mention @tasteofmaroc or tag #tasteofmaroc!