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    Meat · Recipe · Maghreb · Reference page

    Lamb tagine with apricots and prunes (mrouzia)

    mrouzia

    Lamb neck chops marinated in ras el hanout and saffron, simmered until tender, then glazed with onions, raisins, honey and cinnamon and topped with apricots and prunes stewed in orange juice. The recipe is by the chef Hassan M'Souli, published by SBS.

    Mrouzia with glazed lamb, apricots, prunes, raisins, almonds and sesame on a white platter.
    Editorial illustration of the documented recipe; not a photograph of a kitchen-tested result.
    Servings
    4
    Preparation
    15 min
    Cooking
    2 h 10
    Total
    2 h 25
    Difficulty
    Moderate

    Equipment

    • Large heavy saucepan with a lid (or a tagine on a diffuser)
    • Small saucepan for the fruit
    Servings4

    Ingredients

    • The lamb

    • The sauce

    • The stewed fruit

    • To serve

    Shopping list

    Method

    1. Mix the ras el hanout, saffron, ghee, oil and salt in a large bowl. Add the lamb, coat it well and leave for 10 minutes.

    2. Heat the saucepan over a medium-high heat, add the lamb and brown it, turning, for about 4 minutes.

      Timer · 4 min4:00

    3. Cover the lamb with 1 litre of water and simmer, covered, over a low heat for 1½ hours, until tender.

      Timer · 1 h 3090:00

    4. Meanwhile, put the apricots, prunes, orange juice and 180 ml water in the small pan, bring to a simmer over a low heat, cover and cook for 12 minutes until the fruit is plump. Set aside.

      Timer · 12 min12:00

    5. Lift out the lamb. Add the onions to the pan and cook for 5 minutes until they start to soften. Lower the heat, add the raisins and cook for 15 minutes.

      Timer · 20 min20:00

    6. Add the honey and sugar and cook for 5 minutes, until the sauce has reduced by a third. Return the lamb and cook for 10 minutes more. Stir in the cinnamon and take off the heat.

      Why Reducing with honey and sugar turns the cooking liquid into a sticky, sweet-savoury glaze.

      Timer · 15 min15:00

    7. Arrange the lamb on a platter, spoon over the sauce, top with the stewed fruit and scatter with almonds and sesame.

    To drink & serve with

    • Steamed couscous

      Editorial suggestion: serve with steamed couscous or bread to take up the sauce.

    Substitutions

    • Lamb neck chops → Lamb shoulder in large pieces (cook a little longer) or beef chuck.
    • Ghee → Butter or more olive oil.

    Common mistakes

    • Letting the sauce boil dry after the honey goes in: it burns quickly.

    Storage & reheating

    Cool quickly, refrigerate within 2 hours and eat within 2 days; reheat once until steaming hot.

    Safety

    Contains milk (ghee), nuts (almonds) and sesame. Omit the garnish for nut and sesame allergies.

    Allergens

    Milk · Tree nuts · Sesame

    Check labels: stock, bacon and sauces can contain further allergens.

    Dietary

    gluten-free

    The pot and the dish

    In Morocco, tagine names both the conical earthenware pot and what is cooked in it, as SBS notes in introducing Hassan M'Souli's recipe. Mrouzia is the sweet branch of the family: lamb with raisins, honey and spices, here crowned with apricots and prunes stewed in orange juice. M'Souli makes it in an ordinary saucepan, which works as well on a modern stove.

    [1]

    Braise first, glaze after

    The lamb is marinated only briefly, in ras el hanout, saffron, ghee and oil, then browned and simmered in plain water until tender. The sweetness comes afterwards: onions and raisins cook down in the braising liquid, honey and sugar reduce it by a third to a glaze, and the lamb goes back in for ten minutes. The fruit is cooked separately so it keeps its shape.

    [1]

    How it connects

    Place

    • origin Maghreb In preparation

    Recipe

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