My dear Moroccan friend was leaving India and couldn’t carry it back with her. She entrusted me with the responsibility of using it. After I kept seeing it lying around, I finally ventured into making one for myself.

Decided to make a Moroccan vegetable tajine full of all the veggies I could get my hands on. Served it with lemon-y couscous and chickpeas and absolutely loved it. Now that this experiment went well, I can’t wait to decide on another variation soon. This is me hooked to Moroccan Tajine recipes talking!

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 35 minutes
SERVINGS: 2
DIFFICULTY SCALE: Hard

Veg_Tajine

INGREDIENTS: 

For the tajine:
  1. Sweet potato – 1, large
  2. Zucchini – 1
  3. Aubergine – 1, medium
  4. Carrot – 1
  5. Tomato – 1, medium
  6. Olives – a few
  7. Dried apricots – ¼ cup
  8. Garlic Cloves -3
  9. Red onion – 1, medium
  10. Chickpeas – 1 cup
  11. Harissa paste – 1 tablespoon, add it as per your taste
  12. Cinnamon powder – 1 teaspoon
  13. Cumin powder – 1 teaspoon
  14. Olive oil – 1 tablespoon
  15. Cilantro – for garnish
  16. Lemon juice – ½ lemon
  17. Salt – to taste
For the couscous:
  1. Couscous – ½ cup
  2. Water – 250ml
  3. Lemon – zest and juice
  4. Olive oil – 2 tablespoons
  5. Parsley – for garnish
  6. Salt – to taste

RECIPE:

  1. Heat the tajine and add some oil.
  2. Add finely chopped onions and garlic to it.
  3. Once the onions turn translucent, add bite-size pieces of sweet potato and carrots.
  4. After 4-5 minutes add aubergine and zucchini pieces.
  5. Add salt, cumin powder, harissa paste, and cinnamon powder.
  6. Add the dried apricots and add adequate water to cover the veggies.
  7. Cover the tajine and let the veggies simmer for 45 minutes by constantly stirring them.
  8. In the meantime, pressure cook overnight soaked chickpea seeds.
  9. Add olive oil, cilantro, juice of half a lemon, and salt to the boiled chickpeas.  Keep them aside.
  10. Cook the couscous as per instructions on the pack. Add some salt and juice and the zest of a lemon to add freshness to the couscous.
  11. Once the veggies in the tajine are done, you can serve it along with the couscous and chickpeas.

Enjoy this wholesome Moroccan Vegetable Tajine.