Morocco is a friendly and colorful country that lies in the Northwestern corner of Africa with the Mediterranean to its north. The culture and culinary art of the country is impeccably diverse with influences from the Middle East, Africa and Mediterranean. The people Morocco cannot think of cooking without spices, they are not only a vital part of the cuisine but also of the Moroccan way of life. Varied spices like coriander, cumin, saffron, turmeric, cloves, cinnamon, mint etc are used to create the most enticing flavors and bring out an impressive taste in most vegetables and meats.
Moroccan dishes are famous for their varied textures and their richness. The exotic dishes are a direct indication of Morocco’s colorful background and multi cultural society. However, because the country still flaunts an air of mystery most people shy away from the prospect of trying out the seemingly complicated genre of food.
The Humble Beginnings:
The foundation of Moroccan cuisine was laid over two thousand years ago by the Nomads known as Berbers who were the first people to step into the country. These immigrants used their culinary knowledge to prepare dishes from local ingredients like figs, olives and dates with meat and poultry. Eventually more flavors merged with this traditional way of cooking as traders and conquerors entered the country. However, the Arabic influence remains the most considerable when it comes to Moroccan cuisine. The Arabs brought along with them new types of food made fro various rains and breads. They were also the first to introduce spices and seasoning to the region. The Moroccans were the first to experiment with sweet and sour tastes blended together.
Eventually the Spanish influences also trickled in when the Moors came from Andalusia. Unlike the other countries in the Middle East and Africa, Morocco is almost self sufficient and produces all the food required to feed the inhabitants. So now that you know the secret of Moroccan cuisine, let’s try out a recipe.
The Vegetable Moroccan Chicken Curry with Onions, Spinach and Peas
• 1 Chicken Breast large, cut it into cubes
• 1 packet of Kashi Moroccan Curry Mix or you could also use 8 9 oz. of cooked “7 grains Kashi,” Couscous or Rice with coconut shavings and ginger.
• ½ of an Onion, diced, take a large onion
• Minced Garlic 1 tbsp or you could add more or less as you prefer
• 1 Bag of Fresh Baby Spinach
• 1 Cup Frozen Peas
• 1 1 ½ Cups Chicken Broth
• 1 Cup Sour Cream or you could use yoghurt
• 2 Tbls. Curry Powder
• 1 2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
• 1 Tbls. Turmeric
• ½ tsp Cumin, powdered
• ½ tsp. Cardamom
• ½ tsp. Coriander
• 1 2 tsp. Celtic Sea Salt
• 2 Tbls. of Sesame Oil
• Handful of chopped Dry Currents use figs and raisins
• Cilantro, Parsley or Mint for garnishing
Preparation:
Start with the garlic and onion, sauté them in the sesame oil; use a large pan or wok for the purpose because you want all the ingredients to fit in. Once the onion and garlic are cooked, add the chicken breast pieces and cook the meat for about 3 minutes.
Turn down the heat to a medium and ad the Kashi Mixture and the chicken broth, now layer the dish with peas and spinach.
Gently fold in the sour cream or yoghurt and then add the spices including cayenne, cardamom, cumin, turmeric, coriander, curry and sea salt. Now add the chopped currents that include the figs and the raisins. Mix the ingredients gently preferably with a wooden spoon which works very well. Cook the curry on low heat for about ten minutes and don’t forget to stir periodically or you may burn it.
Garnish with chopped Cilantro mint or parsley and serve hot with flat bread like Pita or any others. If you want to make an authentic drink to wash it all down, go for sweetened mint tea. This recipe easily serves 2 to 3 people but you could always double it if you have more people coming in.
Author Resource:
Seomul Evans is an Internet marketing and SEO services expert:
http://www.moroccan-recipes.com
http://www.themoroccanbazaar.com
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