John Gregory-smith’s
TFAYA WITH MOROCCAN FRY
Food and travel writer John specialises in Middle Eastern and North African cuisine. This recipe, from Orange Blossom & Honey, is inspired by the delicious home cooking he experienced on his travels through Morocco.
Hands-on time 15min, plus marinating. Cooking time about 40min. Serves 4
for the chicken ◆ 600g (1lb 5oz) skinless, boneless
chicken thighs, roughly sliced ◆ Juice ½ lemon ◆ 2tbsp olive oil ◆ 3 garlic cloves ◆ 2 tomatoes, finely chopped ◆ 1tbsp tomato purée ◆ 400g tin chickpeas, washed
and drained ◆ 1tsp ground ginger ◆ 1tsp dry chermoula spice mix
(see GH Tip) ◆ ½tsp ground cumin ◆ 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley,
leaves only, finely chopped for the tfaya ◆ 25g (1oz) butter ◆ 2 red onions, finely sliced ◆ ¼tsp each ground ginger
and cinnamon ◆ A pinch each of ground turmeric
and ground black pepper ◆ A pinch of sugar ◆ 40g (1½oz) raisins, soaked in water
for about a min ◆ 1tsp lemon juice ◆ Couscous, to serve
1 Put the chicken thighs in a shallow dish, pour over the lemon juice and season with salt. Mix together. Cover and refrigerate overnight to marinate and tenderise. 2 Take the chicken out of the fridge to bring to room temperature. Heat the oil and garlic in a large frying pan over a high heat. Tip in the chicken and stir-fry for 10-12min. Be patient: lots of moisture will come out of the meat before it starts to brown. Once the liquid evaporates, the thighs will fry and turn gloriously golden. 3 Add the tomatoes, tomato purée, chickpeas, ginger, chermoula, cumin and a good pinch of salt and pepper to the pan. Pour over 100ml (3½fl oz) of just-boiled water and mix well. Cook for 2-3min until you have a thick sauce. Remove from the heat, cover the pan and steam for 3-4min to soften the chickpeas. 4 Meanwhile, make the tfaya. Melt butter in a small frying pan over a medium heat. Add onions and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-12min until golden and sticky. Add the ginger, cinnamon, turmeric,
pepper and sugar. Tip in the drained raisins, and add 3tbsp water and the lemon juice. Mix until thick, then remove from heat. 5 Scatter the parsley over the cooked chicken and serve immediately with couscous and the tfaya spooned over the top. PER SERVING 490cals, 33g protein, 27g fat (8g saturates), 25g carbs (14g total sugars), 7g fibre GH TIP If you can’t find ready-made dry chermoula, use John’s recipe – it will keep well stored in an airtight jar: mix together 2tbsp ground cumin, 1tbsp coriander, 2tsp chilli powder, 2tsp paprika, 1tsp ground cinnamon, 1tsp allspice, 1tsp ground ginger and ½tsp ground turmeric. Makes about 40g.
‘Made with caramelised onions, raisins, cinnamon and sugar, tfaya is the sweet slick that gives a decadent finish to savoury dishes, from tagines to couscous. Catering for the Moroccan sweet tooth, it should have bucketloads of sugar, but my palate and my dentist are not so keen. So, my version omits all but a pinch of sugar, as I feel the sweetness of the onions is enough’