A twist on the Mexican classic – chilli con carne goes Moroccan! I love lamb mince and this is an easy, good value recipe for chilli Marrakech that really packs a flavour punch. It also freezes well if you want to make a bigger batch.
Serves
4
Cooking time
1+ hour
Ingredients
olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 large onion, finely chopped
500g lamb mince
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 red chilli, chopped
1 tsp sweet paprika
quarter tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground coriander
2 heaped tsp harissa paste (I used rose harissa)
1 x 400g red pepper, chopped
1 x 28g lamb or beef ‘stock pot’ (or stock cube)
1 x 400g chickpeas, drained and rinsed
fresh coriander, chopped
Heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a large casserole pan. Add the cumin seeds and fry for a few minutes. Then add the onions, turn the heat down and fry gently, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes until they are soft and starting to colour.
Turn the heat up a bit and add the lamb mince. Break it up with a wooden spoon and brown well, stirring frequently. Once the mince has browned, turn the heat back down and add the garlic, ginger and chilli and mix well. Next add all the spices – paprika, cinnamon, coriander and harissa – and mix well. Add the tinned tomatoes along with the red pepper and pop in the ‘stock pot’. Top up with about 1 cup of boiling water. Give it a good stir, bring to the boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for about 40 minutes.
After 40 minutes, add the chickpeas and mix through. Simmer for another 5 minutes or so with the lid off so the sauce thickens slightly. Taste and add salt and pepper if you think it needs it. Just before serving stir though the chopped coriander and have with steamed rice or couscous.