Think of Morocco and your head is immediately filled with images of Arabesque detailed tiles and ornate architecture. The rich culture that expresses itself in clothing, decoration and lifestyle also accompanies varied regional recipes and territorial tastes. From February 1-April 30, visitors to Agadir will get to sample these authentic flavours and tastes from three regions in Morocco; Tangier, Casablanca and Marrakesh. The Tangier menu has several items with seafood. We fell in love with the gratin samak fromage de chevre; an assortment of Mediterranean seafood marinated with Moroccan spices and garlic and baked with béchamel sauce and goats’ cheese. The tagines and couscous dishes we tried were decidedly rich in flavour and served in very large portions.
Bringing those unique flavours to Abu Dhabi is head chef at Agadir, Nejd Souaidy. We spoke to the enthusiastic and vivacious 31 year old and he explained some aspects of Moroccan cuisine at the festival.
The Moroccan restaurant is manned by an entirely native staff, whose warm reception and informative nature complements the dining experience. Along with a rich à la carte menu, there is a henna station for ladies, as well as two live performers playing the oud and darbuka. The venue itself is exquisite, with dim lighting and beautiful decoration that immediately transports you to a world far away.
We sampled various types of couscous and meals from the menu. Each item was perfectly infused with flavour that kept changing in character. Some dishes were a mix of sweet and savoury, and although you would start with a bite being sweet, it would transform to savoury, before finally ending on a sweet note again. Many items were sweetened with dates and raisins, which would complement the meat and couscous.
Spices play an integral role in most Moroccan dishes. Chef Souaidy explains to us that some dishes use over 57 spices in their preparation. ‘The key is to get the right balance; because you have so many ingredients, you really have to be like a surgeon in the kitchen.’ He explained how a typical Moroccan kitchen was usually stocked with so many ingredients; it was as though you were entering a store, as opposed to a simple kitchen. The tradition was passed down to him through his family and most recipes have survived in the same manner.
Strategically situated in North Africa, Morocco has a rich history of different influences and cultures infusing themselves with their own. ‘For example, you can take a standard spice that came from India and over time in our country people would change it a little until it was completely different from the original but now completely reflects Moroccan taste,’ says Nejd.
Visit the Moroccan Food Festival at Agadir, The Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort & Spa, Khalifa City (02 445 9600).
Couscous Royale
Ingredients
150g carrot
100g pumpkin
100g turnip
100g parsnip
150g courgette
100g cabbage
100g baby aubergine
150g baby marrow
100g tomato
100g onion
100g parsley and coriander
800g chicken
800g lamb
50g olive oil
10g salt
10g white pepper
10g ginger powder
100g chickpeas
5g Yellow food colouring
500g couscous
100g butter
400g merguez sausage
2ltr water
Method
• Sauté lamb with onion, olive oil, salt and white pepper for ten minutes, then add water.
• Add the vegetables and parsley, coriander, ginger powder, food colouring, fresh tomato.
• Prepare the chickpeas (boil them for 15 minutes or until they are tender) with onion, salt, pepper, ginger powder, food colouring, water and olive oil.
• Sauté the chicken with salt and white pepper.
• Mix the couscous with water, salt and olive oil, put in a steamer for 15 minutes. Repeat three times.
• Grill the merguez sausages.
• Serve with the lamb and chicken in the centre of a plate and vegetables on the corner with chickpeas and sausage on top.
• Serve it with a chili sauce and a vegetable sauce on the side.
