Lamb and Rice Tagine with Dried Cherries
Moroccan-spiced one-pot tagine combining tender lamb shoulder with toasted cumin, coriander, and cardamom. Brown basmati rice absorbs stock infused with warm spices, dried cherries add brightness, and fresh spinach and tarragon finish the dish with herbal notes. Served warm with yogurt.
Ingredients
- 1 lb lamb shoulder, diced into 1 ⅛" cubesbeef chuck1:1beef
works well in tagine
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 3 whole cardamom pods
- 1 tsp ras el hanout
- 3 small onions, diced, or 1 large onion
- 2 cups lamb stock or chicken stockvegetable stock1:1stock
vegetarian option
- 3 ¼ cups water
- 1 ¼ cups Tilda brown basmati ricewhite basmati rice1:1rice
will reduce cooking time slightly
- 2 ¾ oz dried cherries
- 7 oz baby spinach or chopped regular spinach
- ⅝ oz tarragon leaves, picked
- yogurt
- olive oil
- salt
- black pepper
Instructions
- 1
Toast cumin and coriander seeds in a dry pan, then grind with cardamom pods using a pestle and mortar or spice grinder
- 2
Soften diced onions in olive oil in a wide heavy-based pan, then add ras el hanout and ground spices, cooking for a couple of minutes while stirring to prevent burning
- 3
Remove onions from pan, increase heat and add diced lamb, stirring occasionally until browned all over
- 4
Reduce heat, return onions to pan, add stock and 500ml water, cover with lid and simmer over very low heat for an hour
- 5
Add rice, dried cherries, salt and pepper, and another 250ml of boiling water, cooking covered for 40-45 minutes until rice is tender
- 6
When rice is almost ready, place spinach on top of tagine, cover with lid for one minute to wilt, then stir into the dish
- 7
Stir in tarragon and serve with yogurt
Tips
Toast whole spices before grinding to maximize flavor extraction
Use very low heat during the hour-long lamb braise to ensure meat becomes tender without drying out
Add boiling water in the second cooking stage to maintain temperature and cooking momentum
Good to Know
Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on stovetop with additional water if needed.
Prepare through step 4 up to one day in advance. Reheat before adding spinach and tarragon.
Serve warm with a dollop of yogurt and additional fresh tarragon if desired.
Common Mistakes
Do not skip the low heat simmer during the hour-long braise to avoid tough, undercooked lamb
Do not rush the initial spice toasting to avoid raw, unground seeds in the dish
Do not exceed medium heat when adding spices to onions to avoid burning and bitter flavor
Substitutions
Dairy-Free Swaps
General Alternatives
will reduce cooking time slightly