Lamb tagine
A tagine is both a pot and a dish. The conical lid condenses the steam and returns it to the pot, so the meat braises in its own sauce with barely any added liquid. Without a tagine, a heavy pot with a tight lid does the job — and no more stock than the recipe says, because the meat and onions give up their own juices.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Toasting the spices 10 min
- Searing the meat 15 min
- Onions and spices 12 min
- Braising 120 min
- Apricots and almonds 20 min
Step by step
0 / 6 doneToast and grind the cumin
Toast the whole cumin seeds in a dry pan for 90 seconds until they pop and smell, then grind them in a mortar. Pre-ground cumin from a jar has noticeably less aroma — the cheapest quality upgrade in the whole recipe.
Ingredients: 1200 g lamb · 2 tsp cumin · 1 bunch coriander · 1 tsp cinnamon · 2 tsp ground ginger · 1 pinch saffron · 1 tsp sweet paprika · 2 tsp salt · 1 tsp pepper
The seeds pop and smell — only then into the mortar.Sear the lamb in batches
Pat the cubes dry, season with salt and pepper and sear in olive oil in batches, about 4 minutes each (3–4 batches, about 15 minutes in all), until browned all over. Lift onto a plate. Do not tip everything in at once — crowded meat releases water and starts to boil.
Ingredients: 1200 g lamb · 2 tsp cumin · 1 bunch coriander · 1 tsp cinnamon · 2 tsp ground ginger · 1 pinch saffron · 1 tsp sweet paprika · 2 tsp salt · 1 tsp pepper
Four batches instead of one — each with its own crust.Soften the onions and bloom the spices
Cook the sliced onions for 10 minutes until soft and golden. Add the garlic, tomato paste and all the spices except the saffron and cook 90 seconds, stirring — spice aromas pass most readily into fat.
Ingredients: 3 pcs onions · 5 cloves garlic · 3 tbsp olive oil · 2 tbsp tomato paste · 400 ml stock · 2 tbsp honey
TipCrush the saffron between your fingers and steep it in 2 tablespoons of warm stock, then add it with the rest of the stock. Thrown in dry it gives less colour and aroma.
Braise for two hours
Return the meat, pour in the stock with the steeped saffron and the honey. The liquid should reach two thirds up the meat. Cover tightly and braise on the lowest heat for 2 hours, stirring once every 40 minutes. The meat should be tender enough to fall apart under a fork.
Ingredients: 3 pcs onions · 5 cloves garlic · 3 tbsp olive oil · 2 tbsp tomato paste · 400 ml stock · 2 tbsp honey
TipHalfway through, the meat can still be tough — that is normal. Do not turn the heat up: the collagen in shoulder breaks down slowly and the meat only turns properly tender towards the end of the second hour.
Add the apricots at the end
Stir in the apricots and toasted almonds and cook 20 minutes more, uncovered. The apricots plump and give up their sweetness while the sauce thickens. Added at the start they would collapse into mush. Meanwhile pour the boiling water with a pinch of salt over the couscous, cover for 5 minutes, then fluff it with a fork.
Ingredients: 200 g dried apricots · 80 g almonds · 1 pcs lemon · 300 g couscous · 400 ml boiling water
Twenty minutes is enough for apricots to plump without disintegrating.Sharpen with lemon and serve
Squeeze in the juice of a whole lemon and taste. A tagine should balance on the edge of sweet and sour — if it tastes flat, what is usually missing is acid, not salt. Scatter coriander and serve on couscous.
Ingredients: 200 g dried apricots · 80 g almonds · 1 pcs lemon · 300 g couscous · 400 ml boiling water
Before you start
Without a tagine pot
The recipe is written for a heavy cast-iron pot with a good lid. If your lid does not fit snugly, check after an hour and add 100 ml of stock if needed. Set a clay tagine over low heat on a heat diffuser, as it cracks with sudden changes in temperature.
Instead of lamb
Pork shoulder or chicken thighs. Chicken needs only 45 minutes of braising instead of two hours.
Better the next day
A night in the fridge lets the flavours marry. Reheat slowly, covered, adding a splash of stock.
