Moroccan Lamb Stew

Happy Weekend friends! When I was in California a few months ago, my good friend Ala whipped up this delicious Moroccan lamb stew and I was in heaven. It was so good! I recently got the recipe from her and want to share it with you guys because my hubby and I absolutely love it. You need to give this dish a chance!

Servings: 2-4 people

Total Time: approx. 5 hours

Marinade Ingredients

2-3 lbs of lamb shoulder cut medium in size

1 tbsp turmeric

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp cumin powder

1 tsp cinnamon

Salt & pepper to taste

1 tbsp paprika

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tbsp minced garlic

5 cardamom seeds

1 cinnamon stick

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp coriander

1/2 tbsp ground ginger

1/2 tbsp ground cloves

1 tbsp all spice

Instructions

Wash each piece of lamb thoroughly under cold water and remove any excess fat. Add those pieces to a large bowl and mix with all the above marinade ingredients. Cover and place in the fridge for 2-3 hours to marinate or overnight. * If you have the seasoning Ras el Hanout, then just add 3-4 tbsp of that instead of the last 5 ingredients above.

Other Ingredients

1 large red onion chopped

1 1/4 cup dried pitted prunes

2-3 potatoes cut into cubes

2 carrots chopped

Water or Stock as needed (veggie or beef stock)

Salt & pepper to taste

1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

1/4 cup fresh chopped mint

Instructions

Add the marinated lamb to a pot over high heat and sear the meat for 5 minutes on each side until it has a brown crust. To achieve this the pot must be hot. Cover with a lid for 10 after browning is achieved. This will allow juices to form.

Add the red onion to the mix and cover for about 20 minutes. At this point, more juices will be forming. Then add enough stock or water to cover halfway up to the meat and let that simmer for another 20 minutes.

Then add the dried prunes and let that simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the potatoes and carrots along with more stock or water. The liquid doesn’t have to cover the potatoes and meat fully but at last 3/4 of the way. Let this simmer on medium heat for at least 2 hours.

Check back on it then and see if the meat is tender. If not, cook for another 30 minutes. I cooked mine for about 3+hours for maximized tenderness! If you have the time, just let it do its thing on the stove on low to medium heat but 2 hours should be enough time if in a rush.

Last thing, add the chopped mint and cilantro for some fresh taste to the stew. Enjoy with rice!