Ras El Hanout

I think I'm forever indebted to my colleague for introducing me to ras el hanout. Well, she mentioned the spice mixture, I got intrigued and investigated. Which lead to the discovery of this really quite amazing recipe. It's quick, easy and can be adjusted to suit your taste. I found the original recipe here. It called for soy curls, which don't seem to be available in the UK. I used tofu chunks instead and added an aubergine because I thought it would taste nice, but I think it would be perfectly fine with just veggies. I also went down the lazy route and used canned chopped tomatoes and substituted sultanas for the raisins because I don't like raisins but love sultanas.


Vegan Moroccan Tagine

(4-6 servings)

1 tbsp oil

3 medium carrots in big chunks

1 large yellow onion in big chunks

1 potato in big chunks

1 aubergine in big chunks

1 Tbsp fresh ginger

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 can chickpeas, drained

handful of sultanas 

1 pack marinated tofu pieces (160g)

juice of one orange

2 cups veg broth

salt & pepper to choice

1 Tbsp ras el-hanout

1 cup whole wheat couscous

1 1/2 c veggie broth

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp turmeric

Cut up the veggies in similar size chunks.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and add the carrots, onion, potatoes, aubergine, garlic and ginger  and cook for about 5 minutes until the onions have softened a bit. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, sultanas, tofu, orange juice, veg broth and ras el-hanout. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Simmer for about 30 minutes (or until the veggies are nice and cooked).

While the tagine is simmering, bring 1 1/2 cups of broth seasoned with cumin and turmeric to boil in a smallish pot and prepare couscous according to package direction.

Serve tagine on a mound of couscous.

Marvel in the awesomeness of a simple and tasty dinner.