How to cook a Tajine?

How to cook an authentic Moroccan tagine

I thought before posting more recipes, it’s time to tell you a little bit about theTajine, the dish and the container as well on how to cook it.

Tajine is a clay or a glazed earthenware cookware that is popular in North Africa. The bottom is a wide, circular shallow with a distinctive conical lid. It’s used for both cooking and serving, so the word Tajine refers to both the cookware and the food that's cooked inside.

In Morocco, you find Tajines of all sorts of sizes and designs in the Souk. Just pay attention to the difference between Tajines for cooking and others intended only for decorative serving dishes. Usually, Tajine for cooking are the ones with the lid, in clay or glazed. Decorative Tajines are usually without a lid and colorful (yellow, blue, green ..). So if you want to buy one, buy the glazed Tajine, this will last longer because it is stronger than the Tajine in clay. If not in Morocco, some western cookware companies are making tajines from other materials.

Tajines come in different sizes. The smallest might hold food for one or two people, are commonly used in restaurants, while the largest can hold a meal for six people or more and this what you find in Moroccan homes.

For the first time using a clay or ceramic Tajine, soak it in water for couple of hours. Drain and dry the tajine. If the Tajine is unglazed, rub the interior and exterior of the lid and base with olive oil. Put the tajine in a cold oven. Turn the oven on to 300° F (150° C), and leave it there for 2 hours. Turn off the oven, and leave the tagine to cool completely inside. Wash the Tajine by hand, and coat the interior with olive oil before storing or using.

Authentic Moroccan clay and ceramic tagines will crack if used under high heat or if is subject to sudden change of temperature. So, if cooking on a burner, use a heat diffusers - a circular piece of aluminum placed between the tagine and burner. Also, don’t put cold water or wash it if the Tajine is still hot, nor put warm water if Tajineis cold. After use, hand wash your tagine with mild soap and rinse well. Leave the tagine to dry thoroughly, and then lightly coat the interior of the lid and base with olive oil before storing. The same procedure applies to other types of clay cookware such as Tanjia.

If you don’t live in Morocco, like me, you are intended to protect your tajine as much as possible and use it only when necessary. And here is a tip. Cook theTajine-dish on a heavy pot, then place the ingredients in the Tajine-container. Cook for 10minutes on low heat and serve. This way, the dish will get the Tajine flavor and in the same time you will prevent the Tajine from cracking.

Moroccan cuisine is colorful and surprisingly easy to cook. You will need only one pot and the food is ready. Traditionally, Tajine is cooked over charcoal braziers for several hours for making stew of meat, chicken, fish, most of the time with vegetables or dried fruits. Vegetables can also be cooked alone. Because of the cone-shaped lid, Tajine traps steam and returns the condensed liquid to the pot. So a minimal amount of water is needed to cook meats and vegetables.

For easy cooking, follow these tips for mostly any tajine you want to prepare:

To the Tajine, add a small amount of olive oil, add onion and/or garlic. Lightly cook. Add the spices and the meat and pour over water, then cover with the lid and leave it to cook for 30minutes on the stovetop. Since the tagine creates steam as it cooks, you don't need to add too much liquid to the dish. When the meat is cooked, add vegetables. Add water if needed and cook for other 15minutes. And remember the base is hot so protect your table.