Tunisian, Algerian, Moroccan – Tajine

by Yushra Mughal

ABOUT THE DISH

Tajine is one of the most popular dish in the whole of African region. There are many countries which consider it as their delight. It is basically a pie like dish which consists of chicken which is cooked firstly with spices and then is added to a batter of egg and cheese and baked in the end. After baking it the dish get many layers and an incredible taste. It gets its name through the pot in which it is cooked. It has many different versions in different regions of Africa. Mainly in Tunisia it is recognized through its color which is mostly red. As we all know that the Tunisians use tomatoes in their dish along with its paste so they add this in Tajine as well. Other countries like Algeria and Morocco are also very fond of this dish but they usually keep it simple and don’t add tomatoes too often. This dish can be made with seafood and other protein of your own choice. This cuisine is at the very top of the entire African cuisines and is loved by everyone. Its recipe goes way back generation to generation and the families love making it. It is a very popular celebratory dish and goes very well for get togethers. It is very simple to make and also doesn’t require much time.

HISTORY / ORIGIN

Tajine was first made in Africa and three countries holds the fortune of calling themselves the place of origin for this dish. These three countries are Tunisia , Morocco and Algeria. These both have quite a history with this dish and they recognise it the pride and delight of their culture. Tajines history goes way back to the 9th century as it was written in a folktale collection book called One Thousand and One Nights. It was made on a wooden pot through which it got its name and went on generation to generation. There are also description on making this dish from a Arab historian named  ibn al-Adim. He mentioned the similar steps to make it which are also used currently. This shows the value of this dish as it has remained same throughout all the decades which have passed.

NATIONAL DISH

It is considered to be the national dish of Tunisia , Algeria and Morocco and it lives up to the recognition it gets.

INGREDIENTS REQUIRED TO PREPARE THE CHICKEN

• Chicken cubes

• Onion 1 (sliced)

• Chilli powder

• Garam Masala

• Tumeric

• Paprika

• Coriander powder

• Salt

• Pepper

INGREDIENTS REQUIRED TO MAKE BATTER

• Eggs 7

• Milk

• Ricotta cheese

STEPS TO PREPARE THE CHICKEN

• Take a pan and add oil in it.
• Add the sliced onions in it.

• Add the chicken cubes in it.

• Let them cook until a brown color has formed.
• Now we will add the spices.
• Add coriander powder, chilli powder, tumeric , garam masala , salt and some pepper in the pan.

• Mix it all together and cook for about 5-10 minutes.

• Once done take it out from the pan onto a plate which we will use later

STEPS TO PREPARE BATTER

• Take the eggs in a bowl.

• Add milk in the bowl and whisk.

• After whisking add the ricotta cheese.
• Mix well
• Your batter is ready.

FINAL STEPS:

• Take the chicken which we made earlier and put it into the batter.

• Mix well then take the whole batter with chicken into a tray.

• Sprinkle some paprika on the batter.

• Put the tray into the oven for about 20 minutes at 180 degrees C.
• Once the time is up take it out and serve.
• Your dish is ready.
• Enjoy.

TIME REQUIRED

• PREPERATION TIME : 5 minutes
• COOKING TIME : 35 minutes
• TOTAL TIME : 40 minutes
• YIELDS : 4-5 servings

NUTRITION FACTS

• Calories  222
• Cholesterol  150mg
• Protein  17g
• Total Carbohydrates  12g
• Total Fat  12g
• Sodium  297mg
• Potassium  645mg
• Vitamin A 129%
• Vitamin C 34%