Reccommendations for Moroccan Dishes?!
Answers: I'm going to a Moroccan restaurant for the first time tonight. What should I order?
I LOVE Morroccan food! Try a tajine (or tagine) dish, it's a delicious Moroccan stew, I like the chicken tajines. They are all delicious. The food is a cross between Arabic and Indian food. They tajines are similar to Indian curries but not as spicy. The predominant flavor is cumin but they use alot of saffron, lots of dried fruits & nuts. Preserved lemons, olives, apricots, dates, figs, prunes are very common in both savory and sweet dishes.
Couscous is a must and bistilla is a delicious savory pastry pie (traditionally made with pigeons but here in the US, it's chicken). The Moroccan mint tea is refreshing. They have great kebabs & koftas also. They dont have alot of seafood but a lot of lamb dishes.
Try a sampler app platter, the food is usually set up as family style so try a little of everything. They also sit on a lot of pillows on the floor, it's fun! I am sure you will enjoy it!
PS: Most Moroccan restaurants have belly dancing, so get up & shake your hips!
Couscous, when done right, is friggin' good!
1 Couscous Main course Semolina
2 Tajine Main course
3 Harira Soup
4 Pastilla Entrée Chicken/Almonds/Seafood
5 Chakchouka Salad Green Pepper/Tomatoes
6 Ferakh Maamer Entrée Chicken
7 Milina Entrée Chicken/Eggs
8 Boulfaf Kebob Calf liver/Garlic/Lamb Crépine
9 Lhzina Salad Oranges/Paprika/Black olives
10 Tanjia Entrée Red meat/Preserved Lemons
11 Mourouzia Entrée Lamb/Raisins/Almonds/Honey
12 Mqualli Entrée Chicken/Citron
13 Khlea Breakfast Preserved Meat With Egg
Drinks
1 Green tea Tea/Mint
2 Beet juice Beets/Orange Blossom Water
3 Grape juice White grapes
4 'Asseer Rumman Pomegranate/Orange Blossom Water
Desserts
1 Shebakia Dessert Sesame Cookies
2 Milk Pastilla Dessert Pastilla/Milk/Almonds/Vanilla
3 Rozz bel Hleeb (Rice pudding) Dessert Milk/Rice/Orange Blossom Water
4 Limun bel-Qerfa Dessert Oranges/Cinnamon
5 Kaab el ghzal Dessert Almond Paste/Sugar
6 Halava
lamb dishes are very traditional, usually with lots of aromatic flavours. that's what i recommend!
Moroccan couscous with a roasted chicken cooked in a tajin with aromatic veggies. yumm.
Chicken with Coriander and Lemon
Make sure you get recommendations from a Moroccan.
I am Algerian (their next door neighbor), and even I am not qualified to answer this question.
Cheers :)
Okay!! Let's get ready for some fun:)!! If it's your first time, then I would look for roast lamb meshoui, which is tender, roast lamb in its natural essence, also try the harira soup, it's a bowl of heaven. I would also recommend that if you like seafood and they offer seafood bastilla, go for it,( I 'm scared of pigeon, myself):) it's a thin pastry filled with grouper fish, shrimp, vermicelli, mushrooms, feta,onions, and egg, we also make a chicken version of bastilla as well, that contains only chicken, almonds, cinnamon and is sprinkled with powd. azucar:) If you like semolina, then try a couscous, personally I ate too much of it as a kid and don't really care for it. Try the kifta, its a wonderful treat. We make great fresh salads as well, so feel free to experiment. We also offer a beer that you may find that goes by the name, "casablanca", just put on a Natacha Atlas cd before you go, and you're all set! Have a great time!!