Kefta Mkaouara – Moroccan lamb and egg tagine

Name: Kefta Mkaouara – Moroccan lamb and egg tagine
Total time: 5400 s
Yield: 4 people
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: Kefta:; 1/2 kg lamb minced; 1 med red onion, finely diced; 2 tsp fresh ginger, grated; 2 tsp ras el hanout; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/4 tsp black pepper; 15 g fresh parsley, chopped; 15 g fresh coriander, chopped; Tomato sauce:; 1/2 kg fresh toms; 75 ml olive oil; 1 small onion, grated; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1/2 tsp ground cumin; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 tbsp tomato puree; 2 tsp ras el hanout; To finish:; 3 eggs; 3 tbsp parsley chopped; 3 tbsp coriander chopped; Serve with:; Aghroum

Laura @FeelBetter

Milton Keynes, England

I’m sat on a chilly morning under the orange trees in beautiful gardens attending a Moroccan cooking class, pleasantly interrupted by one of the soothing and hypnotic melodic chants called Adhan which is the call by the mosque for prayer which happens five times a day.

This dish is made in a tagine which is a conical pot used for cooking stews and other dishes in North Africa. The word tagine can refer to both the pot and the dish. It is a Berber pot traditionally made from clay with a circular, flat base and a conical lid which traps steam which condenses and drips back into the pot creating a moist and flavourful dish. It is typically cooked on coals.

Kefta (kofta) means 'pounded meat' or ground. It comes from the Persian word kūfta and is a type of meatball or kebab originating from the Middle East and India. It's usually made with beef or lamb and seasoned with herbs and spices.

Mkaouara (Mkawra) is the name of the tomato sauce the meatballs are cooked in. It is seasoned with herbs and spices and slowly cooked before adding the meatballs. Eggs are added in the last few minutes of cooking.

Serve from the tagine with each person using khobz, a type of bread (see recipe Aghroum) to scoop up the meatballs and sauce from their own side of the tagine.

I have adapted the recipe from the original by using ras el hanout (spices from the head of the shop) instead of paprika and adding tomato paste and fresh ginger but feel free to spice it according to your taste. #March2026

Serve from the tagine with each person using khobz, a type of bread (see recipe Aghroum) to scoop up the meatballs and sauce from their own side of the tagine.

Laura @FeelBetter

Milton Keynes, England

Serve from the tagine with each person using khobz, a type of bread (see recipe Aghroum) to scoop up the meatballs and sauce from their own side of the tagine.

Saved

Ingredients

1 hr 30 minutes

4 people

Kefta:
1/2 kglamb minced
1med red onion, finely diced
2 tspfresh ginger, grated
2 tspras el hanout
1 tspground cumin
1/2 tspsalt
1/4 tspground cinnamon
1/4 tspblack pepper
15 gfresh parsley, chopped
15 gfresh coriander, chopped
Tomato sauce:
1/2 kgfresh toms
75 mlolive oil
1small onion, grated
3 clovesgarlic, minced
1/2 tspground cumin
1/2 tspsalt
1 tbsptomato puree
2 tspras el hanout
To finish:
3eggs
3 tbspparsley chopped
3 tbspcoriander chopped
Serve with:
Aghroum
Aghroum – Moroccan bread

Saved

Steps

1 hr 30 minutes

1

Kefta: Combine all the kefta spices and herbs with the onions. Add the mince and squish with your hands to combine. Shape the kefta into small meatballs about 3 cm in diameter.
2

Tomato sauce: Cut the tomatoes in half, deseed and either chop finely or grate. Pour the oil into a tagine or pan and add the tomatoes to a pan with the onions, garlic, cumin, salt, tomato puree and ras el hanout. Cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes – recommend using a diffuser to protect the tagine. Reduce the heat to just enough to maintain the simmer but low enough to avoid scorching. Cook for another 15 minutes.
3

Add the meatballs to the tomato sauce. Cover with the tagine lid and cook for around 45 minutes until the sauce is thick and the meatballs are cooked through.
4

Make gaps between the meatballs and add the eggs into the gaps. Cover and cook for an additional 7 - 10 minutes (depending on how you like your eggs cooked). Sprinkle with the remaining parsley and coriander and serve with khobz.