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12 recipes

Shlada gar'a (cooked courgette salad with cumin)

In Meknes and Casablanca the pale courgettes of early summer are cooked down into this soft, spiced salad, one of several little dishes set out with bread before the main course. The courgettes are steamed with garlic, then crushed lightly with olive oil, cumin, paprika and lemon until spoonable but still chunky. Serve it cool with bread or alongside grilled fish. Watery courgettes are the usual problem; cook off all the liquid before seasoning. Chef's tip: add a handful of chopped coriander only at the end so it stays bright.

30 min

Moroccan Salads

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Moroccan party rice salad (shlada rouz)

Moroccan weddings, birthday parties and summer picnics in Rabat and Casablanca nearly always have a big platter of shlada rouz, the rice salad decorated in stripes and rings like a mosaic: tomato, sweetcorn, green olives, beetroot, boiled egg and flaked tuna on a bed of lemon-dressed rice. It's eaten cold as a starter. Rice cooked too soft turns to paste once dressed, so drain it while it still has a slight bite. Chef's tip: dress the rice while it's still a little warm; it soaks up the vinaigrette much better.

40 min

Moroccan Salads

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Shlada khiar (grated cucumber salad with oregano)

In the heat of a Fes or Marrakech summer, this ice-cold grated cucumber salad is served in bowls with spoons, half salad, half drink, alongside rich tagines or a plate of fried fish. Cucumber is grated and loosened with water, vinegar and a little sugar, then perfumed with crushed dried oregano or zaatar. Grating ahead and leaving it to sit in salt is the usual slip; the cucumber goes limp and bitter. Chef's tip: rub the oregano between your palms over the bowl to wake its oils.

10 min

Moroccan Salads

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Shlada batata (Moroccan cumin potato salad)

Shlada batata is one of the cooked salads that line up on a Moroccan table before Friday couscous, in Rabat as much as in the Rif: boiled potato chunks dressed while warm with olive oil, lemon, cumin, paprika, garlic and plenty of parsley, with no mayonnaise at all. It's eaten at room temperature with bread, or with grilled sardines. Dressing cold potatoes is the common mistake; they don't absorb the flavours, so toss them while they're still steaming. Chef's tip: a few slivers of preserved lemon peel make it unmistakably Moroccan.

30 min

Moroccan Salads

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Moroccan sweet pumpkin salad

In Fes and Meknes no Friday couscous lunch starts without a ring of little cooked salads, and the sweet red pumpkin one is the children's favourite. Chunks of pumpkin are softened with a little oil, then cooked down with honey, cinnamon and a pinch of ginger until they collapse into a glossy, jammy mash with a few chunks left. Serve it at room temperature with bread, alongside sharper salads like zaalouk or carrots with cumin. Cooks often add too much water and end up with soup; the pumpkin gives off its own juice, so start almost dry. Chef's tip: scatter toasted sesame seeds over just before serving for crunch against the sweetness.

40 min

Moroccan Salads

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Shlada beldia (Moroccan tomato and cucumber salad)

Shlada beldia, "country salad", sits next to the bread on almost every Moroccan table, from Marrakech grill stalls to a Tuesday family lunch in Oujda. Tomato, cucumber, onion and green pepper are diced as small as lentils, then dressed with lemon, olive oil, parsley and a pinch of cumin, so it eats like a fresh relish with grilled meat, tagines or eggs. The common mistake is dressing it too early: the tomatoes weep and it turns to soup, so salt it just before serving. Chef's tip: dice everything to the same tiny size; that's what makes it taste Moroccan rather than like a chopped salad.

15 min

Moroccan Salads

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Bakoula (warm mallow and herb salad)

When the winter rains come, bunches of khobiza, wild mallow, are piled up at Marrakech market stalls, and households turn them into bakoula: the leaves are steamed, chopped and cooked down with garlic, parsley, coriander, paprika and cumin, then finished with violet olives and slivers of preserved lemon. The result is soft, dark green and savoury with a lemony lift, a little like a well-seasoned spinach dish with more character. It is eaten warm or at room temperature as one of the cooked salads, scooped up with bread. Outside Morocco, use spinach with a handful of chard or rocket for a bit more bite. Most people go wrong by not squeezing the steamed leaves dry, which leaves the salad watery and bland. Chef's tip: squeeze the steamed greens hard in your fists before chopping; leftover water makes bakoula sloppy and dilutes the spices.

50 min

Moroccan Salads

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Moroccan beetroot salad

On a Rabat family table, the Friday couscous is often preceded by a spread of small cooked salads, and the jewel-red dish of beetroot cubes is always one of them. Boiled beetroot is cut into dice and dressed with cumin, a little sugar, olive oil and either vinegar for a sharp version or orange-flower water for a softer, perfumed one; some cooks use both. It is earthy, sweet and bright, and needs nothing more than parsley on top. Make it a few hours ahead so the beets soak up the dressing, and serve it cool with bread and other salads. Chef's tip: dress the beetroot while it is still slightly warm; it absorbs the dressing far better than cold beets do.

55 min

Moroccan Salads

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Moroccan carrot salad (shlada khizzou)Warm spiced carrot salad

Shlada khizzou is the bright orange dish on the salad spread of every Moroccan restaurant and home lunch, from Marrakech riads to roadside grills on the way to the coast. Carrots are blanched until just tender, then dressed while warm with garlic, cumin, a little sugar and lemon, so they drink in the flavour. Some families add a few drops of orange blossom water, which makes it taste of a Moroccan garden. Serve it with tagines, couscous or simply with bread. Chef's tip: dress the carrots while they are still warm; cold carrots stay bland on the outside.

15 min

Moroccan Salads

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TaktoukaRoasted pepper and tomato salad

Taktouka is the pepper partner to zaalouk, served side by side on the salad plates of Moroccan homes and cafés, especially around Casablanca and the north. Grilled green peppers are peeled and cooked down with tomato, garlic and cumin until soft and jammy, then eaten lukewarm with bread or as a side to tagines and grilled vegetables. It is cheap, quick and keeps for three days in the fridge. Chef's tip: use the thin-skinned, slightly bitter green peppers if you can find them; they give a more authentic flavour than sweet bell peppers.

30 min

Moroccan Salads

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ZaaloukAubergine and tomato salad

Zaalouk is one of the cooked salads that open almost every Moroccan meal, from Fez to Essaouira, set out in small dishes with taktouka and carrot salad and scooped up with bread. Aubergine and tomato are cooked down together with garlic, cumin and paprika until they become a soft, spoonable relish, sharpened at the end with lemon and olive oil. It tastes even better the next day, so many cooks make a big batch. Chef's tip: char the aubergine over a gas flame or under the grill first if you can; the smoky skin flavour gives the best zaalouk.

35 min

Moroccan Salads

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FattoushToasted pitta and herb salad

A fresh, crunchy Lebanese salad of tomatoes, cucumber, rocket, celery, spring onions and green pepper with lots of mint and parsley, tossed just before serving with crisp toasted pitta and a sharp lemon, garlic and olive oil dressing. Serve as a starter or alongside falafel and dips.

30 minMiddle Eastern Salads

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