Moroccan Oudjtag Lamb: Spice and Date Stew

What does it include?

Ingredients

• 1 kg lamb thigh
• 30 ml olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 dates, pitted, chopped
• 100 g peeled almonds, chopped
• 5 ml ground cumin
• 5 ml ground coriander
• 5 ml cinnamon powder
• 5 ml black pepper
• 5 ml ground ginger
• 5 ml of salt
• 5 ml brown sugar
• 1 red pepper, cut into strips
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1 400g can of chickpeas, drained
• 1 400g can of crushed tomatoes
• 480 ml chicken broth
• 1 lemon, quartered

How to prepare it step by step?

Preparation

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sear the lamb thighs until golden brown on all sides and set aside.
2. In the same pot, sauté the chopped onion until transparent.
3. Add the dates, chopped almonds, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, black pepper, ginger, salt and brown sugar. Sauté briefly to release the aromas.
4. Add the seared lamb along with the red pepper, carrot, chickpeas and crushed tomatoes.
5. Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to low, cover the pot and cook slowly for about 1 and a half hours or until the lamb is extremely tender.
6. In the last 15 minutes of cooking, add the lemon quarters to the mixture.
7. Serve hot, ideally accompanied by basmati rice or pita bread.