Marak is an African-style vegetable stew. This particular dish is prepared in a tagine. Synonymous with Morocco, a tagine is an earthenware vessel with a pointy lid used to slow cook food to tasty perfection.
Many tagines are a dual example of a beautiful hand-crafted art and functional cooking pot. The traditional tagine method requires cooking over hot coals.
Our recipe uses pumpkin, sweet potato and a blend of typically Moroccan spices. Cumin, paprika and saffron threads among others provide a distinctively delicious aroma and taste. While the tagine lends an element of authenticity, you can recreate the dish in a heavy-based saucepan on a stove.
Recipe by: GOLD Restaurant
Serves: 8 (side dish), 4 (vegetarian main)
Difficulty: Easy
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 30 minutes
Ingredients
T = tablespoon
t = teaspoon
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch of saffron threads
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 500g sweet potato, chopped into 2 x 2 cm cubes
- 500g Pumpkin, chopped into 2 x 2 cm cubes
- 500g Turnip, sliced
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh coriander, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup water or vegetable stock
Method
- On medium, heat the oil in a medium to large tagine or heavy-based saucepan.
- Add the onion, spices and salt and fry until the onions are soft and fragrant.
- Arrange the sweet potato, pumpkin and turnip on top of the onions in layers.
- Sprinkle with parsley and coriander.
- Pour in the water or stock and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 – 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the ingredients have formed a thick, hearty stew consistency.
- Serve hot.
Tip: Serve with Moroccan bread (round, flattened loaves).
