Moroccan Tanjya recipe
Last update November 18, 2024
beef
gluten free
- Cooking time : ~4 hours
The Moroccan tanjia is a fascinating culinary tradition with a rich history. Originating from Marrakech, this dish is a slow-cooked stew that’s typically made with meat, such as beef or lamb, and is seasoned with a unique blend of spices.
The dish is named after the tanjia, a type of clay pot in which it’s cooked. The pot is sealed and placed in an embers-filled oven or a hot ash pit, allowing the stew to cook slowly over several hours. This method of cooking imparts a rich, deep flavor to the dish.
The tanjia is a wonderful example of how traditional cooking methods and ingredients come together to create a dish that’s both deeply flavorful and culturally significant.
Required Ingredients
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- 1.5 kg veal shank
- 1 preserved lemon
- 8 garlic cloves, crushed
- Saffron pistils
- 1 heaped teaspoon cumin
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 glasses water
Optional Ingredients
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- 1 teaspoon of salted butter (Smen) (optional)
Cooking Instructions
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- Place the meat, garlic, the above spices, preserved lemon cut into 4, oil, salted butter (optional), and water in a pressure cooker.
- Close the pressure cooker and place it over very low heat for about 3 hours, keeping an eye on the meat as it cooks.
- When the meat has melted and the sauce has reduced, serve it hot.
Notes
- The secret to making a good Tanjya is leaving it on very low heat for at least 3 hours.
- Never use salf because the preserved lemon is salted.
- Using a darker preserved lemon makes better Tanjya. Please look at the following pictures to see the difference.
Cooked with steam and then preserved in salted water. This lemon is not so salty, and it is mostly used for chicken tagine and sometimes with vegetables too.
Homemade preserved lemon is darker and more salty. This is the one we use for Tanjya
