Casablanca – If you stop by Marrakech and ask for a Moroccan dish to try, tangia is the one you will hear mentioned repeatedly. It‘s one of the most iconic traditional dishes of the red city.
The origins of tangia are closely linked to craftsmen who used to prepare this dish on Fridays, their day off. They would gather outdoors, and enjoy the dish together during a picnic (or nzaha)
The traditional way of preparing tangia is quite different from how it’s done at home, especially in terms of its rituals and cooking process.
Instead of a regular pot, it is prepared in a clay vessel called a tangia (also known as qalloucha). All the ingredients go in at once, then the pot is covered with parchment paper and tightly sealed with kitchen string. Then we make 2 or 3 small holes using a toothpick to let a little steam escape.
This method does not involve an oven. Once sealed, the tangia is taken to the “fernatchi,” a traditional heating oven used for Moroccan hammams, where it is slowly cooked in hot ashes. And it usually takes around 4 hours.
At home, you can recreate it using a pressure cooker. But worry not, it’s a much quicker method, and the dish can be ready in about 45 minutes.
Ingredients
1 kg meat
1 tsp whole cumin (kamoun beldi)
Half a preserved lemon, chopped
A pinch of saffron threads
1 tsp smen (aged butter)
1 cup oil (half olive oil, half vegetable oil)
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
Instructions
In a pot or pressure cooker, add the meat along with all the ingredients.
Prepare the spices as follows:
For the saffron, lightly warm the threads, rub them between your palms, then soak them in a cup of water and let them release their color. Pour the infused water into the pot.
For the cumin, lightly warm the seeds, then rub or crush them gently between your hands before adding them.
Cook until the meat is tender and the flavors are well combined.
