Moroccan Tanjia Marrakchia in 20 mins

Making Moroccan Tanjia at Home

This slow dish from Marrakech is traditionally prepared in a clay pot called a tang. Instead of cooking the meat at home, the Moroccan tanjia is brought to an oven next to the “bath,” where it is slowly cooked in the ashes of the fire used to heat the bath. Because Moroccan tanjia was popular with men, especially single workers, it is sometimes referred to as “bachelorette soup”. It is also served as a family dish or restaurant suggestion.

If you don’t have a tangea, you can redo the dish using another ovenproof clay pan, casserole dish, or deep casserole dish. The directions for the cooker are also below.

Also, try the chicken Moroccan tanjia with candied lemon and the tangea with pearl onion. Or, if you enjoy a variety of meats, you might like calf or lamb’s foot tangia. 

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 6 hrs

Total: 6 hrs 20 mins

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 4 pounds (almost 2 kilograms) of lamb or beef, cut into 4 to 5-inch pieces
  
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 large handful of fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped
• 2 teaspoons cumin
•  1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon saffron threads, (heated gently and then crumbled)
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2 preserved lemon rind, finely chopped
• 1/2 preserved lemon, cut into wedges
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 to 4 tablespoons of water

Steps to Make It

1. Collect the ingredients.
2. Mix the meat with onions, garlic, parsley, coriander, spices, and chopped lemon peel. Transfer the marinated meat mixture to the tangea (or any other deep, oven-proof baking dish). Add olive oil or ghee (fermented salted butter – if you use it), candied lemon slices, and water.
3. Cover the top of the tangea with a circle of parchment paper (it should be cut slightly larger than the diameter of the hole). Cover the parchment paper with a layer of aluminum foil, roll it up and seal it completely with foil. Punch the foil and parchment paper in two or three places with a fork.
4. Place the tangia in a cold oven, set the thermostat to 275 ° F / 140 ° C, and turn on the oven. Leave the tangia for 5-6 hours, at which time you can check whether the meat is sufficiently cooked. It should fall off the bone and be soft.
5. Serve the tangia in a large common dish with Moroccan bread (bread) to cut the meat and sauce.
6. Serve and enjoy!