Mrouzia Recipe - Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Raisins, Almonds and Honey

 

The Middle Eastern Food Kitchen (The home of delicious Middle Eastern Food recipes) invites you to try Mrouzia Recipe. Enjoy cooking delicious, tasty, & easy Middle Eastern food and learn how to make Mrouzia.

Mrouzia – sometimes spelled M'rouzia – is a sweet and spicy Moroccan tagine traditionally prepared in the days following Eid Al Adha, or Eid Al Kabir. Lamb is most popular at this time, but beef or goat meat can also be used.

A key ingredient in Mrouzia is the Moroccan spice mix, Ras El Hanout. Saffron also contributes to Mrouzia's unique flavor.

Cooking time below is for simmering in a conventional pot. Using a pressure cooker will reduce the time by half.

The almonds can either be cooked in the sauce, or fried and presented as a garnish as shown in the photo. See How to Blanch, Peel and Fry Almonds.

Serves 6.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 kg (about 3 lbs.) lamb (shoulder, neck or shanks) cut into 3" pieces
2 medium onions, grated
3 cloves of garlic, pressed or finely chopped
2 cinnamon sticks
2 teaspoons Ras El Hanout
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 cups water
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1 1/2 cups golden raisins (about 225 g)
1/2 cup honey, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup blanched almonds (about 50 g)

Preparation:

Cover the raisins with water and set aside to soak while preparing the meat.

In a heavy-bottomed pot or pressure cooker, mix the meat with the onions, garlic, and spices. Add the butter, cover, and leave to cook over medium-high heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Conventional Pot Method: Add the 3 cups of water, cover, and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 2 hours, or until the meat is tender. Add the raisins, honey, cinnamon and almonds.* If necessary, add additional water to cover the raisins. Cover the pot, and simmer for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the raisins are plump and the sauce is reduced to a thick, syrup-like consistency.

Pressure Cooker Method: Add the 3 cups of water, cover, and cook with pressure for about 40 minutes, or until the meat is tender. Add the raisins, honey, cinnamon and almonds.* If necessary, add additional water to cover the raisins.Cover the pot, and simmer without pressure for 20 to 30 minutes, until the raisins are plump and the sauce is reduced to a thick, syrup-like consistency.

To Serve: Arrange the meat in center of a serving dish, and distribute the raisins, almonds and sauce over the meat.

* Alternatively, the almonds can be fried and presented as a garnish on top of the meat.
  http://falafel-recipes.blogspot.com/2010/10/mrouzia-recipe-moroccan-lamb-tagine.html