While it may not be the most attractive dish in the world, what this vegan tagine lacks in style, it more than makes up for in flavour. Chock-full of delicious veggies, and cooked with fiery spices and fragrant herbs, this vegan Moroccan vegetable tagine is not only a sumptuous feast of goodness, it's incredibly easy to make too.
One of the best things about living in Taroudannt, in Morocco's Souss Valley, was the availability of fresh fruit, vegetables, herbs, and spices. Not only was there an abundance, it was all very reasonably-priced too - between 30p and 75p per kilo, depending on what I bought. Fresh dates, for example, were around 20 dirham per kilo (£1.50), olives were roughly 90p per kilo (12 dirham), and I could buy huge bunches of coriander, parsley, and mint for 2 dirham each (15p).
At the greengrocers in the souk, fruit and vegetables were sold by weight of the entire basket, not individual types of foods. So, for example, I would buy a couple of kilos of veggies each day, which could be a mix of potatoes, pumpkin, aubergine, onions, garlic, carrots, beans, tomatoes, peppers, chillis, etc., and my basket would cost me roughly 60p.
Bananas were a little more expensive but oranges were really cheap. And I have to admit that Morocco is the only place I've ever been able to eat oranges because usually they are far too acidic. The ones in Taroudannt were so sweet and juicy, and didn't burn my mouth at all. I was also able to drink freshly squeezed orange juice there - again, something I've never been able to do anywhere else in the world.
Like most places we've lived outside Asia and the West, bread in Morocco is a staple, so of course, like veggies, it's pretty cheap (although expensive compared to Serbia and Romania). We used to go out in the morning, and buy enough to see us through breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A typical conversation with our bread guy would be...
Us: "Marhaaban! Arbe arom, minfadlek." (Hello! Four breads, please.)
Bread man: "Khmst dirham, minfadlik" (Five dirham, please.)
Us: "Shokran!" (Thank you!)
Him: "Shokran!"
Us: "Ma'a salaama!" ('Bye!)
Him: "B'salaama!" (Goodbye!)
Every. Single. Day. 😉
Another thing I liked about living in Morocco was that very few foods were pre-packaged, which meant it could be bought in as small or large quantities as needed... therefore no food or wrappings waste. I would take my own basket to the souk, and no one ever reached for a carrier bag to put my purchases in! Dates would be put into paper bags, pastries and cookies into small cardboard boxes. The only time plastic bags were used were for olives and spices.
I absolutely loved shopping in the souk; there were no supermarkets, just tiny family-run stores and stalls, selling a variety of everyday goods (tea, sugar, household cleaners etc.), plus loads of fruit and vegetable sellers, herb and spice merchants, and purveyors of dates, olives, and biscuits. There were also a myriad sellers offering freshly roasted coffee beans, which smelled heavenly as I walked past.
Going to the souk every day to buy just enough food for our needs, and having the chance to chat with the merchants, plus learning new words in Berber was great - we used to have such a laugh! Our regular fruit guy stopped speaking English to us, instead he taught us Berber - and sometimes Darija - and if we got confused (which happened often), he'd translate to French, in order to demonstrate the similarity between the languages. Or perhaps he just enjoyed speaking in several tongues!
Our olive seller spoke no French, no English, and no standard Arabic - just Berber and Darija; at first I didn't have a clue what he was saying... and yet, in a short while, I managed to learn certain words and phrases, and found it quite easy to communicate, albeit it very basically!
Vegetable tagine
Although Morocco itself has a wide variety of dishes, in Taroudannt, there are a just few, which seem to be standard for everyone - tagine is one such dish, albeit tagine with meat. While there were some veggie tagines, sadly, they were not from the street vendors. We did find a couple of cafés though, which would make us veggie dishes for 20-30 dirham.
Like cucina povera, although there is a basic way of making vegetable tagine, there seems to be no standard recipe, so it's just a case of using what you have. The mix of veggies can be changed to suit, and if you don't have a clay tagine, then a casserole dish or large, lidded saucepan will work but you'll have to add more stock. The beauty of tagines is that their conical lids condense moisture, which mean you need to add little liquid to them. It also means all nutrients stay in the cooking.
You can also make this in a slow cooker, which works really well, but again, you'll need to add a bit more liquid.
Moroccan Vegetable Tagine
Is...
- simple
- customisable
- nutritious (Vitamin A 116%, Vitamin C 78%, Calcium 8%, Iron 15%, Potassium 18% RDV)
- filling
- budget-friendly
- delicious
Traditionally, in Morocco, people all eat from the same tagine, using pieces of bread to scoop out the chunks, and because the pot is made from clay, the food stays warm (remember this when you come to clear the table).
Besseha!
Have you ever had a vegan Moroccan vegetable tagine?
Moroccan Vegetable Tagine
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 5 large cloves garlic smashed
- 1 medium potato cut into thick slices
- 1 small preserved lemon chopped into approx 1cm (½") pieces
- 1 medium carrot cut into thick slices
- 1 small bunch coriander cilantro, chopped
- 1 slice pumpkin (c.100g/3½ oz), cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley chopped
- 1 small aubergine (eggplant) sliced into finger-sized pieces
- 1 medium courgette zucchini
- small handful French beans topped and tailed
- 1 large tomato roughly sliced
- 20 olives
- 240 ml vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoon Ras el Hanout
Optional:
- 150 g seitan of your choice, sliced
Instructions
- Gently heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in the tagine, and fry the onions for a few minutes until they become translucent. Add the smashed garlic, and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes, until the raw garlic smell has gone.
- Turn off the heat while you layer the vegetables: the ones which take the longest to cook should be at the bottom, while the ones which require the least time should be on the top. I do it in this order: potatoes (which I stir in with the onions to coat them in oil), then half the preserved lemon, carrot, half the coriander and parsley, pumpkin, half of the parsley, aubergine, courgette, French beans, the rest of the parsley, and the tomato. You should have a dome of food now!
- Push the olives in anywhere you can - you don't have to be precise - and sprinkle a few on the top.
- If using, arrange slices of seitan around the edge of the dome.
- Whisk the Ras el Hanout and the remaining oil into the hot vegetable broth, until well-blended (it will thicken). Carefully pour all over the food.
- Put on the tagine lid on, and turn the heat onto its lowest setting. If you're using gas, then a diffuser will come in handy.
- The dish should take around 40-50 minutes to cook. It's possible the juices may overflow a little but don't worry - just clean it up afterward!
- Carefully remove the tagine lid to check that the veggies are soft, then replace the lid, turn off the heat, and leave the tagine to stand for five to 10 minutes.
- Bring to the table, sprinkle the rest of the coriander over the top, and dig in. Serve with fresh bread or couscous (or both).
Notes
- Or use 1 vegetable stock cube (low sodium if possible) dissolved in 180ml (¾ cup) hot water.
- Nutritional data includes seitan.
- 1 cup = US cup = 240 ml
- 1 tablespoon = US/UK = 15 ml
- 1 fl oz = US = 30 ml
Claudia
Tagine is a flavorful dish for enjoying vegetables. Where did you get your clay tangine pot and do you have a photo of it?
Nico
Hi Claudia,
I bought my tagine in Morocco when I lived there - this is what it looks like. xx
https://www.yumsome.com/moroccan-vegetable-tagine/tagine-seller-in-taroudannt/
Claudia
Thank you, Nico. Are the photos with your recipe bowls you bought there as well? They are beautiful.
Nico
Those are from when I was living in Romania! xx
Corina Blum
This sounds delicious Nico! I bet you really miss those Moroccan markets now - all the fresh vegetables and herbs sound amazing. Thanks so much for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice!
Nico
I do indeed miss the souk, Corina - and the prices! Ha ha! We have a farmers market here once a month but it's soooooo expensive. This is the only country I've lived in where there's not a regular market for everyday foods, where you have to go to a supermarket to buy fruit and veggies. We don't even have a greengrocer anywhere here. Thank goodness for the Eastern European, Asian, and Levantine shops though, where prices and variety are so much better than the usual supermarkets around here! xx
Nicole | What She Ate
I really enjoyed reading this post and appreciate you sharing your experiences and beautiful photos. As someone who has never really felt like they fit into the overly cautious Western world, I can't help but dream that the rest of the world will shift and become more carefree and community orientated like you described. Thank you for sharing!!
Nico
I am so glad you enjoyed the post, Nicole, and I do agree with you. Although, some of the countries I've lived in have made me realise how very Northern European I am in some respects! But overall, in the West - and certainly in Britain - it does feel as though we overly restrict ourselves. Sometimes needlessly. On the other hand, health and safety standards can be a very good thing! Ha ha! xx
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I just love cooking up Moroccan cuisine! The flavors and spices are always divine
Nico
Thank you, Rebecca, they certainly are! xx
Natalie | The Tofu Diaries
This looks absolutely delicious to me! Reading about your experience of living in Morocco takes me right back to shopping in the souks and eating fresh tagine out in the Atlas mountains. Such a wonderful country and food!
Nico
Oh, the Atlas mountains - I miss them. And seeing goats wandering the streets. And all the tummy-rumbling smells coming from the street vendors' tagines. Even the meaty smells! And sharing pots of mint tea, pastries, and dates with friends in the café. Most of all I miss the abundance of fresh produce! xx
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie
This tagine sounds utterly wonderful - I am a BIG tagine fan...and I loved reading your wonderful stories about going shopping in the souk...and those gorgeous pictures of spices and fresh produce piled high!! I wish we had such wonderful markets in this country. Eb x
Nico
Thank you, Eb... and I am in complete agreement about the fresh produce and spice markets. They seem to be a novelty here now, rather than an everyday necessity. I miss shopping in markets. We have a farmers market here once a month but it's prohibitively expensive. 🙁 xx
jenny walters
Gosh how wonderful.This dish looks fabulous but I loved hearing about your market experiences too.I think I would be intimidated by it all so it's great to understand a little how it's done! What an amazing experience.
Nico
Thanks so much, Jenny! I'll admit that the first time I ventured into the souk, it was a little intimidating, and there were traders there who were only too happy to take advantage of me being a foreigner (which I do understand, Morocco is such a poor country, so if folk see an opportunity, of course they're going to take it) but once my face was known, I was treated no differently to any of the locals. Oh, apart from one time when I went to do the shopping, and there was a tour party in the souk, and a trader I'd never been to called out to me, and tried to sell me some third rate spice mixes at a hugely inflated price. I replied, in French, that I was not a tourist, that lived there, and to not be so cheeky. He fell about laughing, and gave me a big hug! Then tried to sell me his good spices! LOL! xx
Monika Dabrowski
I love all the qualities of this colourful dish - hearty, delicious and frugal! And I really like the addition of the preserved lemon. Pinned! Have a good weekend:)
Nico
Thank you so much, Monika! Hope you had a lovely weekend too! xx
Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food
I have always dreamed of going to Morocco. Now I can go there on a plate! YUM. I love the Moroccan family style of eating—all from the same tagine with chunks of bread. This looks positively vibrant and sounds really delicious. I can't wait to try it out!
Nico
So many places I've lived, people eat like that, and I love it. It makes the meal so much more special, IMO, and gives a real sense of closeness. Plus, it saves on the washing up! 😉 xx