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Moroccan bachkoutouOrange and sesame dunking biscuits

Moroccan grandmothers bake bachkoutou by the trayful and keep them in big tins for the afternoon glass of sweet mint tea, and neighbourhood ovens in Fes and Casablanca bake them for families who bring their dough. These are dry, crunchy little biscuits, not rich at all, made with eggs, sugar and oil rather than butter, with orange zest and a coating of toasted sesame; they are meant to be dunked until they soften slightly. Shapes vary from town to town: fingers, rings and rope twists are all common, and some cooks add aniseed. Too much flour is the easy mistake: the dough should stay soft and slightly sticky, or the biscuits bake heavy and hard rather than crisp and light. Chef's tip: once they are cold, put them back in a warm, switched-off oven for 20 minutes; that extra drying is what makes them keep their snap for weeks.

38 min

Moroccan Baking

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GurundiCrunchy coconut biscuit bars

Walk past a school gate or a motor park in Kano, Kaduna or Jos and you will hear hawkers calling out gurundi, the hard coconut biscuit bars sold in little plastic bags. They are toasty, sweet and very crunchy, packed with coconut and a hint of nutmeg, and children buy them with pocket money to eat on the walk home. At home they go into lunch boxes or out with a cup of tea or a cold bottle of zobo. Fresh grated coconut is traditional; desiccated coconut makes it simple anywhere. Chef's tip: once the bars are golden, turn off the oven and leave them inside with the door ajar for 15 minutes to dry right through; taking them out too soon is the usual mistake, and they go soft by the next day.

52 min

Nigerian Baking

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Nigerian fruit cake

No Lagos wedding or Christmas table feels complete without a dark, heavy fruit cake, often stacked in tiers and covered in icing, with slices wrapped in napkins for guests to take home. The crumb is dense and moist, coloured almost black with browning (burnt-sugar caramel), and packed with raisins, currants and cherries warmed by nutmeg and mixed spice. Many families soak the fruit for weeks in brandy, stout or red wine; this version plumps it in orange juice instead, with a spirit given only as an option. Serve thin slices with tea, or ice it for a celebration. Bake it hot and fast and you get the classic failure: a cracked, burnt crust over a raw, sunken middle, so keep the oven low. Chef's tip: wrap a double band of brown paper around the outside of the tin and tie it with string; it slows the edges so the middle catches up.

150 min

Nigerian Baking

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Nigerian custard

In homes across Nigeria, from Kaduna to Benin City, custard is a breakfast drink-porridge as much as a pudding: custard powder is mixed to a paste, then set in seconds with a kettle of boiling water and finished with evaporated milk and sugar. Bowls of it are eaten hot with akara or moi moi, the sweet custard against the peppery bean cakes. The mistake is using water that has gone off the boil; it must be furiously boiling or the custard stays thin and floury. Custard powder is mostly cornflour, but check the label if you need it gluten-free. Chef's tip: stir the boiling water in with one hand while you pour with the other, in a steady stream, and the custard sets glossy and lump-free.

8 min

Nigerian Breakfast & Brunch

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Chorba khodra (light Moroccan vegetable soup)

Chorba khodra is the everyday soup of Moroccan homes from Tangier to Agadir, served for supper on cold evenings and to anyone feeling unwell. Carrots, courgettes, potato, turnip and celery simmer with onion, tomato, coriander, parsley, ginger and a little turmeric, then get blended into a smooth, light orange soup thickened with a spoon of fine vermicelli or semolina. Serve with bread and a lemon wedge. Most people boil it too long so the herbs turn dull; add the fresh herbs in the last 10 minutes. Chef's tip: a teaspoon of smen or olive oil stirred in right before serving gives it the roundness of the restaurant version. Contains wheat (vermicelli).

45 min

Moroccan Soups

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Nigerian salad

At owambe parties in Lagos and Ibadan, and on Christmas and Sallah tables right across the country, a big glass bowl of Nigerian salad sits next to the jollof and fried rice, piled in neat stripes of shredded lettuce, cabbage, carrot, sweetcorn, baked beans and sliced egg, then smothered in creamy salad cream. It is cool, crunchy and slightly sweet, the thing everyone reaches for between spoonfuls of peppery rice and chicken. Salad cream contains egg and mustard, so mention it to anyone with allergies. The common mistake is dressing it hours ahead: the cabbage and lettuce weep and the bowl turns watery, so layer it ahead but pour the dressing on just before serving. Many party versions add ham or corned beef; this one keeps it vegetarian. Chef's tip: soak the shredded lettuce and cabbage in iced water for ten minutes and spin them completely dry; they stay squeaky-crisp all evening.

35 min

Nigerian Salads

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Tagine qoq w jelbana (lamb with artichokes and peas)

In Fes and Meknes, spring is announced by the first wild artichokes and fresh peas, and families cook them in this pale, saffron-gold lamb tagine for the Friday lunch. The lamb simmers with onion, ginger, saffron and olive oil until tender, then artichoke hearts and peas go in so they stay green, and preserved lemon adds a salty brightness. Eat it straight from the pot with khobz. The common mistake is adding the vegetables with the meat, so they go grey and mushy; they need only the last 20 minutes. Chef's tip: rub cut artichokes with lemon and keep them in lemon water, or they blacken within minutes.

130 min

Moroccan Meat

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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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Moroccan quince preserve (mrabba sfarjal)

When quinces fill the market stalls of Fes and Meknes in October, households cook them down into this deep red preserve for winter breakfasts with msemen, baghrir and fresh cheese. The pale fruit turns ruby only with long, gentle cooking, the slices staying whole in a thick, cinnamon-scented syrup. Spread it on bread or serve a spoon next to soft cheese. Impatient cooks boil it hard and get a pale, sticky jam; the colour needs slow simmering. Chef's tip: tie the quince cores and peel in muslin and cook them with the fruit — they hold the pectin that sets the syrup. Store in sterilised jars.

120 min

Moroccan Chutneys & Dips

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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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Msemen m'amer (stuffed square msemen)

Morning cafés in Fes and Casablanca sell msemen m'amer straight off the griddle: the familiar square laminated pancake, but folded around a spicy filling of onion, tomato, parsley, cumin and paprika, so every bite has a juicy, savoury layer. It's eaten for breakfast or at teatime with mint tea, and in Ramadan it's on every iftar table. Wet filling is the enemy — fry it until dry or it steams the dough from inside and tears it. Chef's tip: oil your hands and the worktop rather than flouring them; that oil is what makes the layers. Contains wheat.

65 min

Moroccan Breads & Parathas

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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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Berber corn couscous with vegetables

In the Souss valley and the villages of the Middle Atlas, couscous is often made not from wheat but from cracked dried maize, which gives a sunny yellow, slightly nutty grain. It's steamed three times over a pot of turnips, carrots, courgettes and pumpkin, buttered with smen or plain butter, and eaten on Fridays with a glass of cold lben (buttermilk). Corn grits absorb more water than wheat and won't swell in one go, so the usual mistake is skipping the third steaming and serving it gritty. Chef's tip: oil your palms before rubbing the grains between steamings; the maize stays separate and never clumps. Naturally gluten free if you check your maize grits are made in a gluten-free mill.

80 min

Moroccan Rice & Grains

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Nigerian peppered chicken

No Nigerian party is complete without a tray of peppered chicken, or peppered turkey at Christmas, passed round at weddings in Port Harcourt and Lagos and sold in packs at Sunday small-chops stalls. The pieces are first boiled in an onion, thyme and curry stock, then fried until the skin crackles, and finally tossed in a glossy, fiery sauce of blended scotch bonnet, red pepper and onion. Expect heat, a little sweetness and plenty of onion. The usual mistake is skipping the boil and frying raw chicken: the outside burns before the bone is cooked. Boil first, fry hot, and check the thickest piece reaches 74 °C. Turkey wings or drumsticks work the same way with 15 minutes more boiling. Chef's tip: keep the stock from the boil and splash a ladleful into the pepper sauce; it carries the seasoning into every crevice.

75 min

Nigerian Chicken

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Potato briouats (briwat batata)

During Ramadan, the iftar tables of Casablanca and Marrakech are crowded with little fried pastries, and potato briouats are the budget-friendly favourite. A mash of potato, parsley, coriander, cumin and a little grated cheese is folded into warqa or filo triangles and fried until crackling. Serve them hot with harira or mint tea. The common mistake is a wet, warm filling, which makes the pastry soggy and tear; let the mash cool completely. Chef's tip: seal each triangle with a dab of egg yolk or flour paste; they won't open in the oil. Check cheese labels: some is made with animal rennet. Contains wheat, egg and milk.

55 min

Moroccan Snacks & Starters

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Moroccan fish couscous (seksu bel hout)

Along the Atlantic coast in Safi and Essaouira, the Friday couscous is often made with the morning's catch rather than lamb. Firm white fish steaks are marinated in chermoula, then gently poached on top of a tomato and vegetable broth while the couscous steams above it, so everything takes on the scent of cumin, paprika and coriander. Serve the fish and vegetables over the grain with plenty of broth. The usual mistake is adding the fish at the start; it falls apart and goes dry. It needs only the last 10–12 minutes. Chef's tip: lay a few lemon slices under the fish in the pot; they keep it from sticking and lift the broth.

90 min

Moroccan Fish

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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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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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Gueddid (spiced dried lamb, safe oven method)

After Eid al-Adha, families across Morocco traditionally cut part of the sacrificed lamb into strips, rub it with salt, garlic, cumin and coriander and hang it on rooftop lines in the sun for days; the gueddid is then kept for Ashura couscous, lentil stews and eggs. Sun-drying meat at home is not safe without strict control, so this version cures the strips in the fridge, then dries them in a low oven until the meat is cooked through to at least 71 °C and leathery-dry, with the same deep, salty, cumin flavour. The common mistake is cutting thick strips: anything over 1 cm stays moist in the centre. Chef's tip: semi-freeze the meat for an hour first so you can slice it thinly and evenly. Not for anyone on a low-salt diet.

1740 min

Moroccan Basics

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Sweet rice briouats with honey

The old Fassi households and pastry shops of Fes and Rabat make rice briouats for Ramadan and weddings: short-grain rice cooked thick in milk with orange-blossom water, wrapped in warqa, fried and plunged into warm honey. They're crisp outside, creamy within, and served with mint tea. Runny rice pudding makes the pastry burst in the oil, so cook it until a spoon can stand in it, then chill it firm. Chef's tip: warm the honey with a splash of orange-blossom water, and dip the briouats while both are hot so the honey soaks in rather than sitting on top. Contains milk, wheat and almonds.

75 min

Moroccan Desserts

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Moroccan fried cauliflower in cumin batter

Casablanca home cooks fry cauliflower this way for Ramadan tables and family lunches alike: parboiled florets dipped in an egg batter heavy with cumin, paprika and parsley, then fried until puffed and golden. They're eaten hot with a squeeze of lemon or a spoon of chermoula, as a side to a tagine or on their own with bread. The common mistake is frying wet cauliflower; the batter slides off and spits, so dry the florets well after boiling. Chef's tip: keep the florets bite-sized and with a bit of stalk, so you can dip them by hand. Contains egg and wheat.

40 min

Moroccan Sides

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Shrimp and vermicelli briouats

In coastal cities like Agadir and El Jadida, the festive version of briouats is filled with prawns and rice vermicelli tossed in chermoula — a filling borrowed from seafood pastilla, but in a size you can eat in two bites. They come out at weddings, Eid lunches and Ramadan iftars, hot and crackling, with lemon. The usual mistake is a wet filling: cooked prawns and soaked noodles release water, so drain everything well and dry-fry the mix for a minute. Chef's tip: snip the soaked vermicelli into short lengths with scissors so the rolls fill evenly. Contains shellfish, wheat and egg.

60 min

Moroccan Snacks & Starters

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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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Kefta briouats (spiced beef triangles)

Kefta briouats are the savoury star of Moroccan party trays, from Tetouan weddings to Ramadan iftars in Casablanca: minced beef cooked with onion, cumin, paprika and cinnamon, bound with a little egg and folded into crisp warqa triangles. Serve them hot with a wedge of lemon and mint tea. People often fill the pastry with raw kefta and rely on frying to cook it; the meat won't get hot enough in a minute in the oil, so cook the filling fully first. Chef's tip: a beaten egg stirred into the hot meat right at the end sets into a binder and stops the filling crumbling. Contains wheat and egg.

60 min

Moroccan Snacks & Starters

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