If you are a Moroccan cuisine lover, and you want to try a Moroccan cooking class! Here are the most essential things to consider and know before you start.
Moroccan cooking class utensils
Here are the utencils you will need to prepare Moroccan traditional food. You will find all of them in the Moroccan markets and in your Moroccan cooking class. Among the most widely used are pottery, copper, wood, “doum”, alfalfa and leather goods. With mehraz, old-fashioned gsââ, khabiate, tajin-slaoui and ghorbel, Moroccan cookery carries on the traditions of rustic charm.
1 GHORBEL : a metal sieve which separates the bran from crushed cereals
– 2 CHTATO: a silk sieve
– 3 TAJINE SLAOUI: a round earthenware dish with pointed lid
– 4 TBSIL DIAL OUARKA: a round dish the same shape as the preceding one for making puff pastry
– 5 TBSIL DIAL BASTELA : dish of tin-lined copper for braising Bastela
– 6MEHRAZ : mortal
– 7 MAQLA DIAL TRAB: round, earthenware dish used for the preparation of rghaïfs and beghrir
– 8 ROUND MEJMAR: hot charcoal barbecue made of iron or copper which goes with tbsil dial ouarka
– 9RECTANGULAR MEJMAR : rectangular charcoal barbecue with notched side edges for grilling on skewers
– 10 M’GHAZEL : iron or silver skewers
– 11 KESKES : upper part of a couscous steamer
– 12 COUSCOUS POT : lower part of the couscous steamer designed for use with the keskes
– 13TBECK : large, shallow basket for sorting the grains of couscous according to size
– 14 QUETTARA : still for distilling rose and orange-flower water
– 15 GSAA: a very large, deep dish made of earthenware, or wood, for mixing bread and cake dough, etc.
– 16 TBICKA : doum basket, trimmed with leather, topped with a pointed lid, keeps bread fresh
– 17 TENJIR: very large boiling-pot for cooking Moroccan khlii (dried meat).
Measures used
1 teaglassful -2 dl (2 gills) water capacity; 1 sou pspoonful – standard size; 1 teaspoonful -standard size; 1 coffespoonful – stantard size; 1 glassful – one third of a litre (3 gills) water capacity; 1 cooking ladle – standard size; 1 soup bowl – one. third of a litre (3 gills) water capacity.
These measures are very essential in your Moroccan cooking class
Cooking utensils used in the preparation of fresh tea
SINIYA : Round tray made of copper or engraved brass on legs : two trays are needed-one large and one small. The larger one is for putting the teapot and the glasses on the smaller has three kinds of cylindrical boxes, made of the same metal as the trays, in which are placed all the ingredients needed to make the tea.
RBAIA : A cylindrical box of copper or brass, the size of which can vary.
GLASSES : These are small crystal glasses, multi-coloured for highly festive occasions. Otherwise, they can be just ordinary glass.
BABBOR : A magnificently engraved English copper or brass samovar, which is less and less used, for boiling the water.
BERRAD : Teapot.
Sauces learned in Moroccan cooking class
The sauces, which are impregnated with spices and prepared, on the whole, from meat or chicken stock in which these have simmered for a long time, can be divided into three categories: M’qualli : a yellow sauce made from oil, ginger and saffron. M’hammer : red sauce made essentially from butter, sweet peppers and cumin.
K’dra: a yellow sauce which is lighter than the m’qualli sauce prepared whith onions, butter, pepper and saffron .
M’chermel : red sauce obtained by mixing certain quantities of each of the above sauces.
These basic sauces can be infinitely varied by personal touches. Parsley, coriander, garlic, onion, olives, preserved lemons, lemon juice, eggs, hot peppers, sugar, honey and cinnamon are all flavourings which can be added to these basic sauces to improve the taste according to the dish being prepared.
Must Read: Moroccan Soups Recipes | Lentil, Chick-pea, Kerouiya… Harira & More
Moroccan Spices
Basic spices generally used in the preparation of tajines :
Felfla hloua : sweet peppers
Felfla harra : hot peppers (strong)
Felfla soudania : very hot peppers from North Africa and Senegal.
Saafrane beldi : saffron (pounded stigmas of the flowers)
Saafrane roumi : meadow saffron, colouring matter.
Ibzar: black pepper.
Chkinjbir : ginger.
Karfa: cinnamon.
Kamoun : cumin
All these spices are used after having been ground.
other spices : Ras El Hanout
Ras el Hanout is a mixture of these ground spices Qâqulla : cardamon
Dar Felfell : long peppers
Bsibsa : mace
Querkoub : curcuma
Gouza sahraouia : maniguette
Skinjbir : ginger
Gouzt Ettib : nutmeg
Ibzar : black pepper
Nouiouara : type of pepper
Lissan ettir : fruit of the ash-tree
Debbant el Hend: cantharis
Zbil ellaîdoure : belladonna
berries
Skinjbir bied : white ginger
Ras El Hanout is used in your Moroccan cooking class to prepare the Mrouzia tajine. All these spices are, of course, washed, dried and ground. They are available in any Moroccan market either whole or in powdered form.
Moroccan Herbs
Chiba : absinthe, often used in tea
Nafââ : aniseed
Habbet hlaoua: green Spanish aniseed
Kerouiya : caraway seeds
Elranj : bitter orange
Kasbour : coriander seeds, leaves or powder
Meska : gum-acacia (gum-arabic)
Khzama : lavender
Ourka sidna Moussa : bay leaves
Mââdnous : parsley
Arksous : liquorice
Salmiya : sage
Jeljlane : sesame
Zaatar : thyme
Louisa : verbena
Merdeddouch: marjoram
Naâna-ikama : mint
Fliou : wild mint
Perfumes
Zhar : orange-flower water
Ma ouard : rose-water
spices, plants, cooking utensils, different sorts of Moroccan couscous, pastry layers for bastela and tins, included Khlii (preserved dried food) can be found 30 rue François Miron, Paris France-the essential spices can also be found in other French big cities, such as Marseilles.
In Britain or in the United States, you should look for a specialized shop (in London : try Harrod’s or soho market).
There is some Moroccan cooking school and class in London, United State, France, Australia… if you are from these country you can star one.
