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Khlii
Spiced dried preserved beef
Khlii: Fez's spiced dried beef confited in its own fat, made the safer oven-dried, fridge-stored way
Once made in late summer from the Eid al-Adha meat, khlii was marinated, hung on rooftop lines in the Fez medina sun, then simmered in beef fat and olive oil and packed into earthenware jars for the year. It is deeply savoury and chewy, scented with coriander seed, cumin and garlic, and the fat it sits in is as prized as the meat, for frying eggs, enriching lentils or folding into couscous. This home version swaps the rooftop for the fridge and a low oven: the meat marinates for 24 hours in the fridge, dries for about 6 hours at a temperature that takes it well above 71 °C, then confits for about 90 minutes and goes back into the fridge, where it keeps for up to a month under its fat. Because it is a home-preserved meat, it is not for pregnant women, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system. Chef's tip: slice the beef with the grain into long strips no thicker than your little finger; thicker strips stay wet inside and spoil.
- Total time
- 520 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 3 ⅓ lb lean beef topside or silversidetrimmed of sinew
- 2 tbsp fine sea salt
- 3 tbsp coriander seedslightly toasted and coarsely crushed
- 2 tbsp ground cumin
- 8 garlic clovescrushed to a paste
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For the confit
- 14 oz beef suet or kidney fatchopped (ask the butcher)
- 1 ¼ cups olive oilplus extra to top up the jars
- 1 cup water
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Cut 3 ⅓ lb lean beef topside or silverside along the grain into strips about 1.5 cm wide, 1 cm thick and 20–25 cm long.
Step 2: Mix 2 tbsp fine sea salt, 3 tbsp coriander seeds, 2 tbsp ground cumin, 8 garlic cloves, ¼ cup white wine vinegar and 2 tbsp olive oil in a large non-metal dish. Turn the strips through it until every surface is coated.
Step 3: Cover and marinate in the fridge for 24 hours, turning the strips once. Never leave the meat to cure on the counter.
Step 4: Heat the oven to 194°F (fan 176°F). Hang the strips over the bars of the oven shelves or lay them on wire racks over trays, not touching each other.
Step 5: Dry for 5–6 hours with the oven door propped open a crack with a wooden spoon so moisture escapes. The strips are ready when they are dark, stiff and leathery but still bend before they snap, and they will have reached well over 160°F inside.
330 minStep 6: Put 14 oz beef suet or kidney fat and 1 cup water in a heavy pot over a medium-low heat and let the fat melt for 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the water has mostly bubbled away and the fat is clear.
20 minStep 7: Strain out the crisp bits of suet, add 1 ¼ cups olive oil and the dried meat. Simmer very gently over a low heat for 60–90 minutes, until the meat is a deep mahogany colour and has stopped releasing bubbles of moisture. A common mistake is a rolling boil, which fries the outside hard; you want slow, lazy bubbles.
80 minStep 8: Lift the meat out with tongs and pack it into clean, dry, sterilised jars. Let the fat cool for 10 minutes, then pour it over the meat until it is covered by at least 1 cm, topping up with extra oil if needed.
10 minStep 9: Cool completely, close the jars and store in the fridge for up to 1 month (or freeze for 3 months). Always lift khlii out with a clean, dry spoon so no water gets into the jar.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 1 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does khlii take?
- About 520 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 480 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of coriander seeds?
- Ground coriander, same amount (add it later in the cooking; it burns faster).
- What can I use instead of ground cumin?
- Cumin seeds, toasted and ground.
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