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Moroccan-style Spicy Mutton Stew

Ideally, make the stew the day before you plan to eat it so that you can remove the hardened fat that will have settled on top of the cooled stew.

Course Main Course
Servings 4 people at least

Ingredients

  • 900 g mutton cut into 4cm dice
  • 4 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • Few strands saffron
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 medium onions roughly chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • 2 preserved lemons (skin only) finely chopped (alternative: grated zest of 1 lemon)
  • 2 tsp pomegranate molasses, honey or sugar
  • 300 ml stock or water
  • 100 g pitted prunes, apricots or dates roughly chopped

To serve:

  • 0.5 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp almonds
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 3 tbsp coriander chopped

Instructions

The day before you plan to eat the stew:

  1. Coat the diced mutton in the spices and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

  2. Pour 2 tbs hot water over the saffron threads and set aside.

  3. Heat the oil in a pot and brown the mutton. Remove the meat and set aside.

  4. Add the onions and garlic to the pot and cook until softening (10-15 min).

  5. Put the meat back into the pot along with the rest of the stew ingredients.

  6. If using an Instant Pot, put the lid on, switch to 'Sealing' and press the Meat/Stew button. Stew will cook for 35 minutes. Leave pressure to drop naturally.

  7. If using a slow cooker, follow the manufacturer's instruction and cook until the meat is soft.

  8. If cooking on a stove top or in the oven, bring the stew to a boil, then simmer until the meat is soft (1-2 hours).

  9. Taste for seasoning, then leave the stew to cool before refrigerating in a suitable container overnight.

To serve the stew:

  1. Remove any hardened fat from the top of the cold stew.

  2. Reheat the stew on the stove or in the oven until it is piping hot. If using the Instant Pot, cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.

  3. Brown the almonds and sesame seeds in the olive oil.

  4. Stir 2 tbsp of coriander into the stew. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tbsp over the top, along with the almonds and sesame seeds.