Lamb Tagine | RecipeTin Eats

August 21, 2023

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Lamb Tagine is my decide of all tagines! The ras el hanout spice combine is sheer perfection with lamb, and gradual cooking works wonders to develop wealthy flavours within the sauce. Serve over couscous for a surprising Moroccan meal. Your own home will scent superb!

Lamb Tagine

I’ve performed rooster and vegetable tagine. Now it’s time to fulfill my favorite tagine youngster: LAMB TAGINE!

Arabic spice mixes and lamb are only a match made in heaven, a mixture I’ve not shied away from exploring. Proof: Moroccan backstrap, Harira Soup, Shawarma shoulder, Lamb Shawarma chickpea soup, Moroccan lamb meatballs. (And all my Moroccan recipes right here)

Undecided why it’s taken me so lengthy to share the mom of all Moroccan lamb dishes – tagine. It is a stunner. Fork-tender meat, richly spiced sauce, studded with candy apricots and completed with a very good handful of toasted almonds. And the scent when it’s cooking! Swoon….

What’s a tagine? “Tagine” refers to a cone-shaped cooking vessel from North Africa in addition to the stew that’s cooked inside. All types of meals are cooked in tagines, from greens to meat and fish. Heat spices come along with the pure juices that seep from the cooking meat and greens to type the sauce that makes tagines so irresistible.

Meats are sometimes gradual cooked utilizing stewing cuts of meat to make them fantastically tender, such in because the lamb tagine I’m sharing right now. Then again, fish tagines are a lot faster to prepare dinner!

Heads up – the sauce is thick and richly spiced!

The sauce of this Lamb Tagine is lowered till thick which suggests intense flavour which I feel is important for lamb which is among the stronger flavoured proteins. Consider all of the spices and lamb juices lowered and concentrated – you understand it’s going to be good!

Right here’s what it seems like earlier than and after the gradual cooking:

Cooking Lamb Tagine — Earlier than gradual cooking – sauce is watery and skinny

Pot of Lamb Tagine — Earlier than gradual cooking – sauce is watery and skinny

Substances in Lamb Tagine

Right here’s what you have to make Lamb Tagine.

Finest lamb for tagine

The most effective lamb to make use of for lamb tagine is lamb shoulder. It’s a troublesome lower of meat that’s made for gradual cooking that’s marbled with fats so it’s fantastically juicy. Generally it’s generically offered as “lamb stew meat”.

I personally don’t suppose there’s every other lower of lamb that works as effectively. Lamb shank meat can be the following greatest however you’d want to chop the meat off the bone and the form of the items received’t be as uniform, so some will prepare dinner quicker than others.

Boneless lamb leg would most likely be my subsequent decide however it’s leaner than shoulder so it wouldn’t be as juicy.

Different meat cuts – For non-lamb choices, beef chuck, boneless beef ribs, pork shoulder and pork scotch fillet (aka collar butt and pork neck) would work effectively. For rooster, see my Hen Tagine recipe, and I’ve additionally received a Vegetable Tagine (it’s so good!).

Ras el hanout Spice combine for lamb tagine

The spice mix for tagine is named ras el hanout and it’s made with widespread spices you could have already got. You should buy blends however I a lot want to make my very own to get the appropriate steadiness of flavours. Right here’s what you want:

I additionally use ras el hanout for rooster and vegetable tagines however the mix is barely completely different. For instance, as a result of lamb has a stronger flavour than greens, the spice mix is stronger.

The great factor right here is that as a result of we’re utilizing a good few completely different spices right here, it’s not the tip of the world when you’re lacking one … and even two. I’ve supplied a number of switch-out choices within the recipe notes!

and all the pieces else for the tagine

And listed here are the opposite elements you have to make lamb tagine:

Garlic, onion and ginger – Fragrant flavour base. Don’t skip the ginger!
Cinnamon sticks – A spice historically utilized in Center Jap cooking and makes the flavour so particular. You’ll be able to substituted with a bit powder however cinnamon sticks works higher. It’s a bit extra delicate and earthier.
Hen inventory/broth – The braising liquid. Historically water is used, however inventory makes it tastier! Observe: Hen inventory is used reasonably than lamb inventory as a result of the flavour is “cleaner”. Lamb inventory is just not offered at grocery shops, and there’s a purpose for that – as a result of it’s very…effectively, lamb! We get sufficient lamb flavour on this sauce from the lamb items.
Dried apricots – Some variations of tagine are made with olives, others use dried fruit, others nonetheless might use each. I’ve opted for fruit as a result of tagines are one of many few dishes I really like that pairs fruit with meat! I additionally suppose the orange color of the apricots seems beautiful within the sauce.

Nonetheless, the recipe contains the olive possibility too.
Tomato paste – That is what’s used to thicken the sauce and add a contact of flavour. We don’t use sufficient to make it tomatoey, it’s very delicate.
Lemon – Some tagines use preserved lemon (like in my rooster tagine) however for lamb, contemporary lemon zest is gorgeous. Additionally – cheaper. 🙂
Slivered almonds and coriander/cilantro – Garnish for serving. quantity of each works!

The right way to make Lamb Tagine

Very straight ahead – brown the lamb, sauté aromatics, plonk all the pieces in then gradual prepare dinner for 1 hour 45 minutes till the lamb is fall-apart tender!

Brown lamb – Reduce the lamb into massive 3.5cm / 1.5″ cubes in order that they don’t turn into fall-apart tender too rapidly. Cooking lengthy and gradual = extra flavour within the sauce and it wants the time to scale back and thicken!

Toss the lamb in salt and pepper, brown in three batches (don’t crowd the pot else the lamb will stew as a substitute of brown) then take away right into a bowl.

Use a big oven-proof pot with a lid, so it might probably go from the range to oven. My dutch oven pictured is 24cm / 9.5″ huge.
Sauté aromatics – Cook dinner the garlic and onion first, then the tomato paste, ginger, cinnamon and spices. Cook dinner for 1 1/2 minutes, stirring consistently, to prepare dinner out the uncooked flavour of the tomato paste and toast the spices which brings out the flavour.

Braising liquid and lamb – Add the rooster inventory and lamb, then convey it to a simmer.
First prepare dinner 45 minutes – Put the lid on and switch to a 180°F/350°F (160°C fan-forced) oven for 45 minutes.
Add apricots then stir them in. We add them in partway via else they get too tender.
Cook dinner one other 1 hour – Put the lid on then return the tagine to the oven for an additional 1 hour, or till the lamb items are fork tender.

Thick and stuffed with flavour – Right here’s what the lamb tagine seems like after 1 hour 45 minutes of gradual cooking. The sauce has lowered right down to a thick consistency, wealthy with spicing and a stupendous depth of flavour you possibly can solely obtain from gradual cooking.
Serve over couscous. I simply use plain couscous for this tagine as a result of it’s received a lot flavour in it, reasonably than one with fruit and nuts in it.

Why the oven works greatest

As with every gradual cooking recipe I share, I do know some folks will ask if it may be cooked utilizing the gradual cooker or on the range! Sadly for this lamb tagine, the oven works greatest.

The range wouldn’t work very effectively since you’d must stir often to stop the bottom from catching because the sauce of this tagine is significantly thicker than say, Beef Stew. However as a result of the lamb items will get so tender, it is going to break aside into the sauce.

The gradual cooker additionally doesn’t work that effectively as a result of the sauce won’t cut back practically sufficient within the gradual cooker. So the sauce is just too skinny and can lack flavour. Cooking within the gradual cooker additionally means you don’t get caramelisation on the floor and edges of the tagine such as you do within the oven and on the range which provides flavour to stews.

For some dishes you will get round this by ending a dish cooked within the gradual cooker within the oven, like I do with Gradual Cooker BBQ Brisket and Gradual Cooker Roast Lamb Leg. However sadly not for stews like this tagine!

Close up photo of freshly cooked Lamb Tagine

That shut up picture above does me each time, remembering the richness of the flavour of the sauce and the way tender that lamb is. Tender, however not mushy, we’re not making child meals right here.

The dried apricot provides lovely pops of sweetness in addition to sweetening the sauce a contact.

And ending with contemporary lemon zest is simply sheer perfection. Please don’t skip that! – Nagi x

PS Additionally don’t skip the great handful of toasted almonds for serving, it’s additionally the right crowning glory!

Watch learn how to make it

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Lamb Tagine | RecipeTin Eats

Lamb Tagine

Heads up – the sauce is thick and richly spiced!